A Programme of Astrophysics, Cosmology and Technology in Cardiff 2016-19
Lead Research Organisation:
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Department Name: School of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
We propose a programme of Astrophysics, Cosmology and Technology development for Astrophysics and Cosmology, to investigate star and planet formation in our own and other galaxies, and how galaxies form and evolve. This programme will combine observational data from world-class ground and space-based observatories, as well as theoretical modelling and simulations of the processes that result in the Universe we observe around us. We will also continue to develop the world's most sensitive detectors for very long infrared wavelengths, along with associated optical components utilising 'metamaterials' the class of materials designed and manufactured by human beings to have the properties best suited to their task, rather than relying on naturally occurring minerals and plastics. Both of these areas of technology development potentially have wide applications outside of Astronomy, in areas such as security scanners and bio-medical imaging for example. The technologies used for imaging can also be extended to undertake spectroscopy, and we propose a programme to develop the capability to obtain a spectrum of every point in a large area image of the sky, which is essential for understanding how far away the objects found in deep surveys are, but also what the conditions in the gas that make up these objects are.
Planned Impact
The technology programme proposed here will have extensive impact outside of astronomy. Firstly in other academic subject areas such as Earth-observing where the technology is used to look downwards or sideways through the atmosphere rather than upwards, but also in bio-medical imaging, where the Far-infrared wavelength range has many spectral features, and is currently being used in collaboration with the School of Optometry in Cardiff to assess corneal damage, for example. Secondly we also plan to exploit the technology commercially, through the spinout company QMCI (www.terahertz.co.uk) which operates from within the School, with broad applications from fast plasma diagnostic systems in use in Fusion experiments, through laboratory spectroscopy across a wide range of chemistry and materials applications, through to security imaging. We also plan a very strong Outreach programme across both the technology developments and the observational and theoretical astrophysics and cosmology programme, following on from the skills developed during the very successful Herschel/Planck outreach programme, with web-based and standard media information releases, but also tied in with Open days, school visits, and going out into schools and colleges to give presentations and host workshops. This work is closely aligned also with the in-house science communication company Science Made Simple.
Publications
Henning J
(2018)
Measurements of the Temperature and E-mode Polarization of the CMB from 500 Square Degrees of SPTpol Data
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bryan S
(2018)
Measuring Reionization, Neutrino Mass, and Cosmic Inflation with BFORE
in Journal of Low Temperature Physics
Whitehorn N
(2016)
MILLIMETER TRANSIENT POINT SOURCES IN THE SPTpol 100 SQUARE DEGREE SURVEY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Parrianen J
(2018)
Modelling the Performance of Single-Photon Counting Kinetic Inductance Detectors
in Journal of Low Temperature Physics
Pisano G
(2016)
Multi-octave metamaterial reflective half-wave plate for millimeter and sub-millimeter wave applications.
in Applied optics
Cormier D
(2017)
New ALMA constraints on the star-forming interstellar medium at low metallicity: a 50 pc view of the blue compact dwarf galaxy SBS 0335-052
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Cormier D
(2017)
New ALMA constraints on the star-forming interstellar medium at low metallicity: a 50 pc view of the blue compact dwarf galaxy SBS 0335-052
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Ruppin F.
(2017)
Non-parametric deprojection of NIKA SZ observations: Pressure distribution in the Planck-discovered cluster PSZ1 G045.85+57.71
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Bich Ngoc Nguyen
(2020)
Observations of magnetic fields surrounding LkH$\alpha$ 101 taken by the BISTRO survey with JCMT-POL-2
in arXiv e-prints
Ngoc N
(2021)
Observations of Magnetic Fields Surrounding LkHa 101 Taken by the BISTRO Survey with JCMT-POL-2
in The Astrophysical Journal
Flanigan D
(2016)
Photon noise from chaotic and coherent millimeter-wave sources measured with horn-coupled, aluminum lumped-element kinetic inductance detectors
in Applied Physics Letters
Flanigan D
(2016)
Photon noise from chaotic and coherent millimeter-wave sources measured with horn-coupled, aluminum lumped-element kinetic inductance detectors
in Applied Physics Letters
Mangilli A
(2018)
PILOT balloon-borne experiment in-flight performance
Mot B
(2017)
Pilot optical alignment
Mot B
(2017)
Pilot optical alignment
Mot B
(2019)
PILOT optical alignment
Bernard J
(2016)
PILOT: a balloon-borne experiment to measure the polarized FIR emission of dust grains in the interstellar medium
in Experimental Astronomy
Bernard J
(2016)
PILOT: a balloon-borne experiment to measure the polarized FIR emission of dust grains in the interstellar medium
in Experimental Astronomy
Ponthieu N
(2017)
PILOT: optical performance and end-to-end characterisation
Longval Y
(2017)
PILOT: optical performance and end-to-end characterisation
Dierickx M
(2023)
Plastic Laminate Antireflective Coatings for Millimeter-Wave Optics in BICEP Array
in Journal of Low Temperature Physics
Ritacco A
(2017)
Polarimetry at millimeter wavelengths with the NIKA camera: calibration and performance
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ritacco A
(2017)
Polarimetry at millimeter wavelengths with the NIKA camera: calibration and performance
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Johnson B.R.
(2016)
Polarization sensitive Multi-Chroic MKIDs
in Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Bracco A
(2017)
Probing changes of dust properties along a chain of solar-type prestellar and protostellar cores in Taurus with NIKA
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Bracco A
(2017)
Probing changes of dust properties along a chain of solar-type prestellar and protostellar cores in Taurus with NIKA
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Egami E
(2018)
Probing the high-redshift universe with SPICA: Toward the epoch of reionisation and beyond
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Hornsby A
(2020)
Reducing the Susceptibility of Lumped-Element KIDs to Two-Level System Effects
in Journal of Low Temperature Physics
Shitvov A
(2020)
Reflective Toraldo pupil for high-resolution millimeter-wave astronomy
in Applied Optics
Eswaraiah Chakali
(2021)
Revealing the diverse magnetic field morphologies in Taurus dense cores with sensitive sub-millimeter polarimetry
in arXiv e-prints
Seifried D
(2017)
SILCC-Zoom: the dynamic and chemical evolution of molecular clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Seifried D
(2017)
SILCC-Zoom: the dynamic and chemical evolution of molecular clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Peretto N
(2023)
Star cluster progenitors are dynamically decoupled from their parent molecular clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hu C
(2016)
Star formation and molecular hydrogen in dwarf galaxies: a non-equilibrium view
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hu C
(2016)
Star formation and molecular hydrogen in dwarf galaxies: a non-equilibrium view
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gandilo N
(2016)
SUBMILLIMETER POLARIZATION SPECTRUM IN THE VELA C MOLECULAR CLOUD
in The Astrophysical Journal
Pattle K
(2021)
Submillimetre observations of the two-component magnetic field in M82
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Adam R
(2018)
Substructure and merger detection in resolved NIKA Sunyaev-Zel'dovich images of distant clusters
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Franeck A
(2018)
Synthetic [C ii] emission maps of a simulated molecular cloud in formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Clarke S
(2018)
Synthetic C18O observations of fibrous filaments: the problems of mapping from PPV to PPP
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Traficante A
(2018)
Testing the Larson relations in massive clumps
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Shimajiri Y
(2020)
The accretion history of high-mass stars: an ArTéMiS pilot study of infrared dark clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| Description | Astronomy Grants |
| Amount | £2,212,225 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/K000926/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2013 |
| End | 04/2016 |
| Description | The Simons Observatory |
| Organisation | Simons Observatory |
| Country | Chile |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Within this award the following are members of the Simons Observatory: Prof Carole Tucker, Prof Peter Ade, Dr Erminia Callabrese, Dr Enzo Pascale, Dr Rashmi Sudiwala. The following have the status, 'Motivated Observer', Dr Simon Doyle, Prof Peter Hargrave, Dr Giampaolo Pisano. Dr Erminia Calabrese is a member of the Simons Observatory Theory and Analysis Committee (SOTAC); Profs Tucker and Ade & Dr Pascale are members of technical working groups. Cardiff technology, funded through successive STFC grants enables the control of the thermal and optical environment on this large scale Submm telescope. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Simons Observatory will fund infrastructure upgrade to existing STFC funded facilities for the manufacture of quasi optical components to very large sizes (700 mm). Cardiff STFC-funded academics will be authors of forthcoming scientific papers by the SO team. |
| Impact | Outputs will be in future - during instrument build and then first light - from 2020. |
| Start Year | 2017 |