Astronomy and Astrophysics at Edinburgh
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
An astonishing feature of modern astrophysical research is that we have in principle a chain of explanation that stretches from processes on cosmological scales of billions of light years, down to the creation of stars, planets around the stars and life on the planets. In a sense, this process is almost a closed loop: the early Universe was once of sub-nuclear scale, so that quantum mechanical uncertainty is bound to seed fluctuations in density, which eventually collapse under gravity to make astronomical structures. This is the same physics of the very small that governs the formation of the atoms out of which we are all made.
But unanswered questions abound at all stages of this process. Our theories of the early Universe and explanations of its current expansion rest on the concept that empty space can have weight: the so-called "dark energy". We need to study its properties and understand its origin. In so doing, we often assume that Einstein's relativity describes gravity correctly on all scales, but can we test this? If the standard theory is correct, dark matter is required, and we are driven to follow the processes by which it clumps, and by which the gas within these clumps evolves and eventually collapses to form stars and massive black holes. New large telescopes on the ground, together with observing platforms in space such as the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes (and soon the James Webb Space Telescope), allow us to see this process in action and compare the observations with detailed computer simulations. Nearer to home, we can dissect galaxies such as our own Milky Way into individual stars, for the most detailed view of how they were assembled. And finally we can study how planets arise around these stars, both from new instruments that can detect the presence of "exo-planets" and by computer simulations of how they may be created within the discs of gas and dust left over from star formation. Ultimately, one can refine the search to planets potentially capable of supporting life, and ask how life might arise within these early planetary systems.
Research in astronomy at Edinburgh attacks all of these connected questions. Progress is rapid, driven by technological breakthroughs in observational facilities and computing power, and our understanding is evolving rapidly. Major progress, even if not final answers, can be expected within a few years. This is an exciting time for our understanding of the full history and structure of our Universe and our place within it.
But unanswered questions abound at all stages of this process. Our theories of the early Universe and explanations of its current expansion rest on the concept that empty space can have weight: the so-called "dark energy". We need to study its properties and understand its origin. In so doing, we often assume that Einstein's relativity describes gravity correctly on all scales, but can we test this? If the standard theory is correct, dark matter is required, and we are driven to follow the processes by which it clumps, and by which the gas within these clumps evolves and eventually collapses to form stars and massive black holes. New large telescopes on the ground, together with observing platforms in space such as the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes (and soon the James Webb Space Telescope), allow us to see this process in action and compare the observations with detailed computer simulations. Nearer to home, we can dissect galaxies such as our own Milky Way into individual stars, for the most detailed view of how they were assembled. And finally we can study how planets arise around these stars, both from new instruments that can detect the presence of "exo-planets" and by computer simulations of how they may be created within the discs of gas and dust left over from star formation. Ultimately, one can refine the search to planets potentially capable of supporting life, and ask how life might arise within these early planetary systems.
Research in astronomy at Edinburgh attacks all of these connected questions. Progress is rapid, driven by technological breakthroughs in observational facilities and computing power, and our understanding is evolving rapidly. Major progress, even if not final answers, can be expected within a few years. This is an exciting time for our understanding of the full history and structure of our Universe and our place within it.
Planned Impact
Details of our Pathways to Impact are provided in the separate 2-page attachment.
Organisations
Publications
Olsen K
(2021)
sígame v3: Gas Fragmentation in Postprocessing of Cosmological Simulations for More Accurate Infrared Line Emission Modeling
in The Astrophysical Journal
Olsen K
(2018)
Erratum: "SÍGAME Simulations of the [C ii], [O i], and [O iii] Line Emission from Star-forming Galaxies at z ? 6" (2017, ApJ, 846, 105)
in The Astrophysical Journal
Osinga E
(2021)
Diffuse radio emission from galaxy clusters in the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey Deep Fields
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Owen J
(2020)
Massive discs around low-mass stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Palmese A
(2020)
Stellar mass as a galaxy cluster mass proxy: application to the Dark Energy Survey redMaPPer clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Palmese A
(2020)
A Statistical Standard Siren Measurement of the Hubble Constant from the LIGO/Virgo Gravitational Wave Compact Object Merger GW190814 and Dark Energy Survey Galaxies
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Parsa S
(2018)
No evidence for a significant AGN contribution to cosmic hydrogen reionization
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Paulino-Afonso A
(2018)
VIS 3 COS I. Survey overview and the role of environment and stellar mass on star formation
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Paulino-Afonso A
(2019)
VIS 3 COS II. Nature and nurture in galaxy structure and morphology
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Paulino-Afonso A
(2018)
VIS 3 COS I. Survey overview and the role of environment and stellar mass on star formation
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Paulino-Afonso A
(2020)
VIS 3 COS III. Environmental effects on the star formation histories of galaxies at z ~ 0.8 seen in [O II], H d , and D n 4000
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Pentericci L
(2018)
The VANDELS ESO public spectroscopic survey: Observations and first data release
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Pereira M
(2020)
µ? masses: weak-lensing calibration of the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 redMaPPer clusters using stellar masses
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Petersen M
(2022)
Tidally stripped halo stars from the Large Magellanic Cloud in the Galactic North
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Petersen M
(2020)
Reflex motion in the Milky Way stellar halo resulting from the Large Magellanic Cloud infall
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Petersen M.S.
(2021)
Detection of the Milky Way reflex motion due to the Large Magellanic Cloud infall
in Nature Astronomy
Petrus S
(2020)
A new take on the low-mass brown dwarf companions on wide orbits in Upper-Scorpius
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Peñarrubia J
(2021)
Identification of Sagittarius stream members in angular momentum space with gaussian mixture techniques
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Peñarrubia J
(2020)
Creation/destruction of ultra-wide binaries in tidal streams
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Peñarrubia J
(2023)
A halo of trapped interstellar matter surrounding the Solar system
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Peñarrubia J
(2020)
Creation/destruction of ultra-wide binaries in tidal streams
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Phipps F
(2020)
The First Billion Years project: Finding infant globular clusters at z = 6
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Phipps F
(2023)
Linking the internal properties of infant globular clusters to their formation environments
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pichon C
(2020)
And yet it flips: connecting galactic spin and the cosmic web
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Porredon A
(2022)
Dark Energy Survey Year 3 results: Cosmological constraints from galaxy clustering and galaxy-galaxy lensing using the MagLim lens sample
in Physical Review D
Power C
(2019)
nIFTy galaxy cluster simulations VI: the dynamical imprint of substructure on gaseous cluster outskirts.
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Prat J
(2018)
Galaxy bias from galaxy-galaxy lensing in the DES science verification data
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Prat J
(2018)
Dark Energy Survey year 1 results: Galaxy-galaxy lensing
in Physical Review D
Prat J
(2022)
Dark energy survey year 3 results: High-precision measurement and modeling of galaxy-galaxy lensing
in Physical Review D
Privon G
(2018)
On the Interpretation of Far-infrared Spectral Energy Distributions. I. The 850 µm Molecular Mass Estimator
in The Astrophysical Journal
Quénard D
(2018)
The Fate of Formamide in a Fragmenting Protoplanetary Disk
in The Astrophysical Journal
Rafieferantsoa M
(2018)
Predicting the neutral hydrogen content of galaxies from optical data using machine learning
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rafieferantsoa M
(2018)
mufasa: the strength and evolution of galaxy conformity in various tracers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rajpaul V
(2021)
A HARPS-N mass for the elusive Kepler-37d: a case study in disentangling stellar activity and planetary signals
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ramasawmy J
(2021)
Low-frequency radio spectra of submillimetre galaxies in the Lockman Hole
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ramasawmy J
(2021)
Low-frequency radio spectra of submillimetre galaxies in the Lockman Hole
Randich S
(2022)
The Gaia -ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey: Implementation, data products, open cluster survey, science, and legacy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Read J
(2021)
Breaking beta: a comparison of mass modelling methods for spherical systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Read S
(2018)
The Far-Infrared Radio Correlation at low radio frequency with LOFAR/H-ATLAS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Read S
(2018)
The Far-Infrared Radio Correlation at low radio frequency with LOFAR/H-ATLAS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rennehan D
(2019)
Dynamic localized turbulent diffusion and its impact on the galactic ecosystem
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rice K
(2019)
Masses and radii for the three super-Earths orbiting GJ 9827, and implications for the composition of small exoplanets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rice K
(2018)
On fragmentation of turbulent self-gravitating discs in the long cooling time regime
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rice K
(2018)
On fragmentation of turbulent self-gravitating discs in the long cooling time regime
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Riechers D
(2019)
COLDz: Shape of the CO Luminosity Function at High Redshift and the Cold Gas History of the Universe
in The Astrophysical Journal
Robson D
(2020)
X-ray emission from hot gas in galaxy groups and clusters in simba
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| Title | HiZELS star-forming galaxies at z=0.8-3.3 |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society with title ' The dynamics and distribution of angular momentum in HiZELS star-forming galaxies at z=0.8-3.3.' (bibcode: 2019MNRAS.486..175G) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/MNRAS/486/175 |
| Title | LOFAR LBA Sky Survey. I. |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomy & Astrophysics with title 'The LOFAR LBA Sky Survey. I. Survey description and preliminary data release.' (bibcode: 2021A&A...648A.104D) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/648/A104 |
| Title | LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) DR2 |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomy & Astrophysics with title 'The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS). V. Second data release.' (bibcode: 2022A&A...659A...1S) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/659/A1 |
| Title | LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey Deep Fields DR1 |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomy & Astrophysics with title 'The LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey: Deep Fields Data Release 1. II. The ELAIS-N1 LOFAR deep field.' (bibcode: 2021A&A...648A...2S) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/648/A2 |
| Title | LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey Deep Fields DR1 |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomy & Astrophysics with title 'The LOFAR Two Metre Sky Survey: Deep Fields Data Release 1. III. Host-galaxy identifications and value added catalogues.' (bibcode: 2021A&A...648A...3K) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/648/A3 |
| Title | LoLSS-Deep Bootes 54MHz catalog |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomy & Astrophysics with title 'The LOFAR LBA Sky Survey: Deep Fields I. The Bootes Field.' (bibcode: 2021A&A...655A..40W) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/655/A40 |
| Title | LoTSS Deep Fields DR1 photometric redshifts |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomy & Astrophysics with title 'The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey: Deep Fields Data Release 1. IV. Photometric redshifts and stellar masses.' (bibcode: 2021A&A...648A...4D) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/648/A4 |
| Title | The nature of hyper luminous infrared galaxies |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomy & Astrophysics with title 'The nature of hyper luminous infrared galaxies.' (bibcode: 2021A&A...654A.117G) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/654/A117 |