An Astrophysics Consolidated Grant for the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Lancashire
Department Name: Jeremiah Horrocks Institute
Abstract
The astrophysics group at the University of Central Lancashire carries out research in many different areas, including, solar physics, stellar variability, and galaxy formation.
This grant requests resources to support our core activities, including the exploitation of data from the latest ground- and space-based observatories, and to carry out state-of-the-art simulations of the formation of star clusters and galaxies.
The key areas covered by the grant are:
Solar physics - where space-based observatories such as the Solar Dynamics Observatory, STEREO, and Hinode will be exploited to investigate solar activity and the effect of the Sun on the solar system. This traces the development of magnetic features in the solar atmosphere, their eruption as flares and coronal mass ejections, and the propagation of material as it flows into space. This will be complemented by computer modelling of the magnetic processes that drive solar activity and its impact in the heliosphere.
Stellar variability - where international observatories such as Kepler, SALT, ALMA, and SOFIA will be used to study different types of variable and eruptive stars. Different variable stars will be investigated using asteroseismology, where the pulsations of stars over time are used to probe the dynamics and structure. Ejecta from evolved eruptive variable stars will be probed in the micron to millimetre range to determine the ejecta composition and understand dust formation.
Formation of star clusters and galaxies - where large supercomputers will be used to simulate the formation and evolution of star clusters and galaxies, including the Milky Way, using suites of numerical codes developed in-house and with close collaborators.
Structure and dynamics of galaxies - where observational and theoretical tools are combined to probe the behaviour of galaxies and phenomena that occur within them. This ranges from measurement of the star formation rate and its relation to dark matter content, to simulations of astrophysical jets, and the structure of large quasar groups.
Exploiting the varied expertise of the astrophysics group is an extensive outreach programme which utilises our purpose-built observatory. The observatory is already extensively used for visiting groups from schools and the general public, and the site will be developed to enhance its potential for public engagement. This programme will be developed to promote engagement with new audiences.
This grant requests resources to support our core activities, including the exploitation of data from the latest ground- and space-based observatories, and to carry out state-of-the-art simulations of the formation of star clusters and galaxies.
The key areas covered by the grant are:
Solar physics - where space-based observatories such as the Solar Dynamics Observatory, STEREO, and Hinode will be exploited to investigate solar activity and the effect of the Sun on the solar system. This traces the development of magnetic features in the solar atmosphere, their eruption as flares and coronal mass ejections, and the propagation of material as it flows into space. This will be complemented by computer modelling of the magnetic processes that drive solar activity and its impact in the heliosphere.
Stellar variability - where international observatories such as Kepler, SALT, ALMA, and SOFIA will be used to study different types of variable and eruptive stars. Different variable stars will be investigated using asteroseismology, where the pulsations of stars over time are used to probe the dynamics and structure. Ejecta from evolved eruptive variable stars will be probed in the micron to millimetre range to determine the ejecta composition and understand dust formation.
Formation of star clusters and galaxies - where large supercomputers will be used to simulate the formation and evolution of star clusters and galaxies, including the Milky Way, using suites of numerical codes developed in-house and with close collaborators.
Structure and dynamics of galaxies - where observational and theoretical tools are combined to probe the behaviour of galaxies and phenomena that occur within them. This ranges from measurement of the star formation rate and its relation to dark matter content, to simulations of astrophysical jets, and the structure of large quasar groups.
Exploiting the varied expertise of the astrophysics group is an extensive outreach programme which utilises our purpose-built observatory. The observatory is already extensively used for visiting groups from schools and the general public, and the site will be developed to enhance its potential for public engagement. This programme will be developed to promote engagement with new audiences.
Planned Impact
Our research impact outside the discipline has two legs - public engagement with people of all ages through a multi-level programme of activities, and knowledge exchange in collaboration with other academic disciplines and via that with industry. Our public engagement activities reach people of all ages, from young children to the oldest members of our community. In addition we engage at a number of levels, from public talks to large audiences, through long-term collaborations with local schools and colleges, bespoke activities at the University to curriculum enhancement events with teachers. Our knowledge exchange benefits from the research group being within the School of Computing, Engineering & Physical Sciences enabling easy collaboration with a range of disciplines; we are developing links with those elsewhere in the University, including within academic schools and support services. We highlight the novel aspects of our offering here, which will develop during the grant.
Alston Observatory is a key element of our public engagement activities. Over the last two years we have replaced the planetarium facility with a £15,000 investment, and refurbished the existing teaching room. This has enabled us to support a range of new activities, including educational visits from primary and secondary schools, observing events for the general public and astronomy outreach for community groups. We have piloted curriculum enhancement events for teachers. We are currently planning to expand the capacity, breadth of the astronomy covered and added science activities around biology and chemistry. Theme C in our application gives more detail on this, and requests staff support for the development, which will be matched in funding from UCLan and appropriate sponsorship.
We support direct engagement with school students via a number of routes. Each year 5-10 students take part in a variety of activities embedded within the research group, varying from work experience to Nuffield bursary projects. We work in local schools and colleges, and have an ongoing collaboration with the Ogden Trust, primarily working with them to support their Preston Science Partnership and the West Lakes Science Consortium. This provides some enabling funds and facilitation to work on collaborative projects in improving students' progression to Higher Education, focusing in the physics subject area in particular. This provides us with a unique understanding of the needs of the student communities, which we also apply more widely in other schools and colleges, for example with the University-sponsored West Lakes Academy. As well as these activities at secondary level, we engage with primary schools, for example working with Beauty in the Universe, a not-for-profit enterprise in East Lancashire. This enterprise was established by a UCLan graduate with support from our business incubation unit and astronomy staff, and we seek to support their expansion as it is clear that they could have a significant impact on a number of under-privileged communities in a way that is self-sustaining.
Knowledge exchange is always a little more challenging for astrophysics groups. Prime amongst our activities is an FP7 EU funded project Coronal Mass Ejections and Solar Energetic Particles: Forecasting the Space Weather Impact. This will produce a European Space Weather alert system to forecast energetic particle radiation storms and geomagnetic storms, which can affect satellites, GPS, power lines and communications, and is a direct result of our solar physics research. We are working within a unique NASA Space Act agreement to provide instrument software, utilising relevant skills amongst the engineering and computing staff within the School. This is funded by the University, anticipating broader knowledge exchange opportunities in the future. Other actives are currently at a smaller scale but span a range from computer games to mass data analysis.
Alston Observatory is a key element of our public engagement activities. Over the last two years we have replaced the planetarium facility with a £15,000 investment, and refurbished the existing teaching room. This has enabled us to support a range of new activities, including educational visits from primary and secondary schools, observing events for the general public and astronomy outreach for community groups. We have piloted curriculum enhancement events for teachers. We are currently planning to expand the capacity, breadth of the astronomy covered and added science activities around biology and chemistry. Theme C in our application gives more detail on this, and requests staff support for the development, which will be matched in funding from UCLan and appropriate sponsorship.
We support direct engagement with school students via a number of routes. Each year 5-10 students take part in a variety of activities embedded within the research group, varying from work experience to Nuffield bursary projects. We work in local schools and colleges, and have an ongoing collaboration with the Ogden Trust, primarily working with them to support their Preston Science Partnership and the West Lakes Science Consortium. This provides some enabling funds and facilitation to work on collaborative projects in improving students' progression to Higher Education, focusing in the physics subject area in particular. This provides us with a unique understanding of the needs of the student communities, which we also apply more widely in other schools and colleges, for example with the University-sponsored West Lakes Academy. As well as these activities at secondary level, we engage with primary schools, for example working with Beauty in the Universe, a not-for-profit enterprise in East Lancashire. This enterprise was established by a UCLan graduate with support from our business incubation unit and astronomy staff, and we seek to support their expansion as it is clear that they could have a significant impact on a number of under-privileged communities in a way that is self-sustaining.
Knowledge exchange is always a little more challenging for astrophysics groups. Prime amongst our activities is an FP7 EU funded project Coronal Mass Ejections and Solar Energetic Particles: Forecasting the Space Weather Impact. This will produce a European Space Weather alert system to forecast energetic particle radiation storms and geomagnetic storms, which can affect satellites, GPS, power lines and communications, and is a direct result of our solar physics research. We are working within a unique NASA Space Act agreement to provide instrument software, utilising relevant skills amongst the engineering and computing staff within the School. This is funded by the University, anticipating broader knowledge exchange opportunities in the future. Other actives are currently at a smaller scale but span a range from computer games to mass data analysis.
Organisations
Publications
Kocharov L
(2013)
THE EFFECT OF TURBULENCE INTERMITTENCE ON THE EMISSION OF SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLES BY CORONAL AND INTERPLANETARY SHOCKS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gibson B
(2013)
Constraining sub-grid physics with high-redshift spatially-resolved metallicity distributions
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Laitinen T
(2013)
Energetic Particle Diffusion In Critically Balanced Turbulence
Debosscher J
(2013)
KIC 11285625: A double-lined spectroscopic binary with a ? Doradus pulsator discovered from Kepler space photometry
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kawata D
(2013)
Calibrating an updated smoothed particle hydrodynamics scheme within gcd+
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Acharova I
(2013)
Galactic Constraints on Supernova Progenitor Models
De Lorenzi F
(2013)
Three-integral multicomponent dynamical models and simulations of the nuclear star cluster in NGC 4244
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Brown J
(2013)
ON THE OFFSET OF BARRED GALAXIES FROM THE BLACK HOLE M BH -s RELATIONSHIP
in The Astrophysical Journal
Portaluri E
(2013)
Searching for nuclear stellar discs in simulations of star cluster mergers
Portaluri E
(2013)
Searching for nuclear stellar discs in simulations of star cluster mergers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Brook C
(2013)
The Lowest Metallicity Stars in the LMC: Clues from MaGICC Simulations
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Battarbee M
(2013)
Injection of thermal and suprathermal seed particles into coronal shocks of varying obliquity
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kurtz D
(2013)
Hot DAVs: a probable new class of pulsating white dwarf stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hambleton K
(2013)
KIC 4544587: an eccentric, short-period binary system with d Sct pulsations and tidally excited modes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Marsh M
(2013)
DRIFT-INDUCED PERPENDICULAR TRANSPORT OF SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Valenti E
(2013)
Stellar ages through the corners of the boxy bulge
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Valluri M
(2013)
HALO ORBITS IN COSMOLOGICAL DISK GALAXIES: TRACERS OF FORMATION HISTORY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Laitinen T
(2013)
ENERGETIC PARTICLE DIFFUSION IN CRITICALLY BALANCED TURBULENCE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Smith R
(2013)
The influence of ram pressure on the evolution of tidal dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Murphy S
(2013)
Super-Nyquist asteroseismology with the Kepler Space Telescope
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Qin G
(2013)
TRANSPORT OF SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLES ACCELERATED BY ICME SHOCKS: REPRODUCING THE RESERVOIR PHENOMENON
in The Astrophysical Journal
Laitinen T
(2013)
ENERGETIC PARTICLE CROSS-FIELD PROPAGATION EARLY IN A SOLAR EVENT
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dalla S
(2013)
Solar energetic particle drifts in the Parker spiral
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Dalla S
(2013)
Solar Energetic Particle drifts in the Parker spiral
Recchi S
(2013)
The [ /Fe] ratios of very metal-poor stars within the integrated galactic initial mass function theory
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Laitinen T
(2013)
Energetic particle cross-field propagation early in a solar event
Debattista V
(2013)
What's up in the Milky Way? The orientation of the disc relative to the triaxial halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Valenti E
(2013)
Stellar Ages through the Corners of the Boxy Bulge
Radburn-Smith D
(2012)
OUTER-DISK POPULATIONS IN NGC 7793: EVIDENCE FOR STELLAR RADIAL MIGRATION
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kelly J
(2012)
CROSS-FIELD TRANSPORT OF SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLES IN A LARGE-SCALE FLUCTUATING MAGNETIC FIELD
in The Astrophysical Journal
Few C
(2012)
RAMSES-CH: a new chemodynamical code for cosmological simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Pilkington K
(2012)
The distribution of metals in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of dwarf disc galaxies Metallicity distributions in disc simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Laitinen T
(2012)
ENERGETIC PARTICLE DIFFUSION IN STRUCTURED TURBULENCE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Yoachim P
(2012)
SPATIALLY RESOLVED SPECTROSCOPIC STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF NEARBY DISKS: HINTS OF STELLAR MIGRATION
in The Astrophysical Journal
Macciò A
(2012)
HALO EXPANSION IN COSMOLOGICAL HYDRO SIMULATIONS: TOWARD A BARYONIC SOLUTION OF THE CUSP/CORE PROBLEM IN MASSIVE SPIRALS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Roškar R
(2012)
Radial migration in disc galaxies - I. Transient spiral structure and dynamics Radial migration in disc galaxies - I.
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Schöller M
(2012)
Multiplicity of rapidly oscillating Ap stars
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Stanier A
(2012)
Solar particle acceleration at reconnecting 3D null points
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sánchez-Blázquez P
(2012)
The chemical evolution of globular clusters - II. Metals and fluorine The chemical evolution of globular clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pilkington K
(2012)
Metallicity gradients in disks Do galaxies form inside-out?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Lorenzo-Cáceres A
(2012)
Constraining the formation of inner bars: photometry, kinematics and stellar populations in NGC 357? The double-barred galaxy NGC 357
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Stinson G
(2012)
magicc haloes: confronting simulations with observations of the circumgalactic medium at z=0 magicc haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Crosby N
(2012)
Forecasting the space weather impact: The COMESEP project
Few C
(2012)
Properties of simulated Milky Way-mass galaxies in loose group and field environments
in Astronomy & Astrophysics