A programme of astronomy at the University of Hertfordshire
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Hertfordshire
Department Name: Science and Technology RI
Abstract
This application is to support the programme of research at The Centre for Astrophysics Research (CAR) at the University of Hertfordshire. The research includes: - conducting follow-up observations of gamma-ray bursts, the most violent events in the Universe, detected by the Swift space mission, so as to better understand the nature and origin of these remarkable events. We will also use the huge luminosity of GRBs to study the distant regions of the universe where we find them; - understanding the formation and evolution of massive galaxies and the role of submillimetre-luminous galaxies in the early universe; - investigating the nature of a new class of star clusters found in the Milky Way's near neighbour, the Andromeda Galaxy. Why no similar clusters exist in the Milky Way is a mystery, and may be telling us that the two galaxies evolved in different ways. We also plan to use our observations of these and other clusters to investigate the properties of so-called 'dark matter', which astronomers think makes up about 90% of the universe but which seems to be completely invisible; - to understand how the centres of active galaxies are fuelled, i.e. those where the energy produced is far more than can be produced by stars, and is most likely from accretion on to a massive black hole; - to determine the structure of active galactic nuclei and to understand why there is such a wide range of radio powers associated with active galaxies; - to determine what are the sufficient and necessary conditions for star formation to commence by studying the star formation process in nearby galaxies at scales of the local Jeans length, and to tie this in with star formation at large look-back times; - understand the energetics of the violent interstellar medium, notably the feedback cycle which links massive star formation to the surrounding medium, and it's impact on the disk-halo interface (ranging from setting up localised blow-out of gas to creating galactic winds, and the subsequent enrichment of the intergalactic medium); - to search for and identify all the massive star-forming regions in our Galaxy and from them learn how massive stars are formed; - to measure the energy distribution at optical and infrared wavelengths for extra-solar planets found close to their parent stars, these will give vital insights into the composition, formation and evolution of giant planets; - to understand the occurrence, formation history and properties of 'failed stars' known as brown dwarfs; - to understand the process of mass loss in evolved stars; this matter returns to the interstellar medium and eventually forms new stars; - using spectra to measure the composition of the oldest known stars in order to determine what types of stars were the first to form after the big bang; - a proposal to construct a new optical imaging camera to be used as a visitor instrument on the WHT, which will allow, among many other collaborative applications, a study of the morphology of massive star formation in galaxies; - the CAR has built a polarimeter (PlanetPol) with sufficiently high sensitivity to detect the polarization signature of the so-called hot-Jupiters (extrasolar planets with a size similar to that of Jupiter but in an orbit very close to the star).
Organisations
- University of Hertfordshire (Lead Research Organisation)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- McMaster University (Collaboration)
- Max Planck Society (Collaboration)
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Collaboration)
- University of Florida (Collaboration)
- Leiden University (Collaboration)
- The Open University (Collaboration)
- University of Cape Town (Collaboration)
Publications
Buta R
(2006)
Fourier Dissection of Early-Type Galaxy Bars
in The Astronomical Journal
Bradley T
(2006)
A composite H ii region luminosity function in H a of unprecedented statistical weight
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Faria D
(2007)
Probing the Nature of the G1 Clump Stellar Overdensity in the Outskirts of M31
in The Astronomical Journal
Morgan L
(2007)
A SCUBA survey of bright-rimmed clouds
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
ComerĂ³n S
(2007)
Discovery of ultra-compact nuclear rings in three spiral galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Urquhart J
(2007)
A tale of two cores: triggered massive star formation in the bright-rimmed cloud SFO 75
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rol E
(2007)
The early- and late-time spectral and temporal evolution of GRB 050716
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fathi K
(2007)
Evolution of structure in late-type spiral galaxies I. Ionized gas kinematics in NGC 628
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lewis G
(2007)
Inside the whale: the structure and dynamics of the isolated Cetus dwarf spheroidal The Cetus dwarf galaxy
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Williams B
(2007)
The Metallicity Distribution of Intracluster Stars in Virgo
in The Astrophysical Journal
Elmegreen B
(2007)
Variation of Galactic Bar Length with Amplitude and Density as Evidence for Bar Growth over a Hubble Time
in The Astrophysical Journal
Boquien M
(2007)
Polychromatic view of intergalactic star formation in NGC 5291
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
{Thompson}, M.~A. And {Hatchell}, J. And {Walsh}, A.~J. And {MacDonald}, G.~H. And {Millar}, T.~J.
(2007)
SCUBA ultracompact HII regions (Thompson+, 2006)
in VizieR Online Data Catalog
Plume R.
(2007)
The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope spectral legacy survey
in PUBLICATIONS OF THE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC
Martinez-Valpuesta I
(2007)
A Morphological and Statistical Analysis of Ansae in Barred Galaxies
in The Astronomical Journal
Williams Benjamin F.
(2007)
Virgo's intracluster globular clusters as seen by the advanced camera for surveys
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Packham C.
(2007)
Gemini mid-IR polarimetry of NGC 1068: Polarized structures around the nucleus
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Sarzi M
(2007)
Star formation and stellar populations across nuclear rings in galaxies Stellar populations across nuclear rings in galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nakajima Y
(2007)
First NIR Polarimetry of 30 Doradus
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
Diaz-Santos T.
(2007)
Resolving the stellar populations in the circumnuclear ring of NGC 7469
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Aoki W
(2007)
Carbon-enhanced Metal-poor Stars. I. Chemical Compositions of 26 Stars
in The Astrophysical Journal
{Cohen}, R.~J. And {Caswell}, J.~L. And {Brooks}, K. And {Burton}, M.~G. And {Chrysostomou}, A. And {Cox}, J. And {Diamond}, P.~J. And {Ellingsen}, S. And {Fuller}, G.~A. And {Gray}, M.~D. And {Green}, J.~A. And {Hoare}, M.~G. And {Masheder}, M.~R.~W. And {McClure-Griffiths}, N. And {Pestalozzi}, M. And {Phillips}, C. And {Thompson}, M. And {Voronkov}, M. And {Walsh}, A. And {Ward-Thompson}, D. And {Wong-McSweeney}, D. And {Yates}, J.~A.
(2007)
The Parkes methanol multibeam survey
Bournaud F
(2007)
Missing mass in collisional debris from galaxies.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Walter F
(2007)
Dust and Atomic Gas in Dwarf Irregular Galaxies of the M81 Group: The SINGS and THINGS View
in The Astrophysical Journal
Peletier R
(2007)
Stars and gas in the inner parts of galaxies seen in SAURON integral field observations
in New Astronomy Reviews
Young S
(2007)
The rotating wind of the quasar PG 1700+518.
in Nature
Sugitani K
(2007)
Near-Infrared Polarimetry of the Eagle Nebula (M 16)
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
{Green}, J.~A. And {Cohen}, R.~J. And {Caswell}, J.~L. And {Fuller}, G.~A. And {Brooks}, K. And {Burton}, M.~G. And {Chrysostomou}, A. And {Diamond}, P.~J. And {Ellingsen}, S.~P. And {Gray}, M.~D. And {Hoare}, M.~G. And {Masheder}, M.~R.~W. And {McClure-Griffiths}, N. And {Pestalozzi}, M. And {Phillips}, C. And {Quinn}, L. And {Thompson}, M.~A. And {Voronkov}, M. And {Walsh}, A. And {Ward-Thompson}, D. And {Wong-McSweeney}, D. And {Yates}, J.~A. And {Cox}, J.
(2007)
The Methanol Multibeam Survey
Duc P
(2007)
VCC 2062: an old tidal dwarf galaxy in the Virgo cluster?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jorstad S
(2007)
Multiwaveband Polarimetric Observations of 15 Active Galactic Nuclei at High Frequencies: Correlated Polarization Behavior
in The Astronomical Journal
Durrell P
(2007)
The Resolved Stellar Populations of a Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy in the Virgo Cluster
in The Astrophysical Journal
Laurikainen E
(2007)
Properties of bars and bulges in the Hubble sequence
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Aoki W
(2007)
Spectroscopic Studies of Extremely Metal-poor Stars with the Subaru High-Dispersion Spectrograph. IV. The a-Element-Enhanced Metal-poor Star BS 16934-002
in The Astrophysical Journal
Tamura M
(2007)
Near-Infrared Imaging Polarimetry of the NGC 2071 Star-Forming Region with SIRPOL
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
Mackey A
(2007)
ACS Photometry of Newly Discovered Globular Clusters in the Outer Halo of M31
in The Astrophysical Journal
Pillai T
(2007)
Probing the initial conditions of high mass star formation I. Deuteration and depletion in high mass pre/protocluster clumps
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
{Morgan}, L. And {Urquhart}, J. And {Thompson}, M. And {White}, G. And {Figura}, C.
(2007)
Varied Mechanisms for Star Formation in Bright-Rimmed Clouds
Ivison R
(2007)
The SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey - III. Identification of radio and mid-infrared counterparts to submillimetre galaxies SHADES III
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
{Thompson}, M.~A. And {Serjeant}, S. And {Jenness}, T. And {Scott}, D. And {Ashdown}, M. And {Brunt}, C. And {Butner}, H. And {Chapin}, E. And {Chrysostomou}, A.~C. And {Clark}, J.~S. And {Clements}, D. And {Collett}, J.~L. And {Coppin}, K. And {Coulson}, I.~M. And {Dent}, W.~R.~F. And {Economou}, F. And {Evans}, A. And {Friberg}, P. And {Fuller}, G.~A. And {Gibb}, A.~G. And {Greaves}, J. And {Hatchell}, J. And {Holland}, W.~S. And {Hudson}, M. And {Ivison}, R.~J. And {Jaffe}, A. And {Joncas},
(2007)
The SCUBA-2 ''All-Sky'' Survey
in ArXiv e-prints
{Morgan}, L.~K. And {Urquhart}, J.~S. And {Thompson}, M.~A. And {White}, G.~J.
(2007)
Triggered star formation in bright-rimmed clouds
Kennicutt
(2007)
Star formation in NGC 5194 (M51a). II. The spatially resolved star formation law
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Sollerman J
(2007)
The nature of the X-ray flash of August 24 2005 Photometric evidence for an on-axis z $\mathsf{= 0.83}$ burst with continuous energy injection and an associated supernova?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
{Urquhart}, J.~S. And {Thompson}, M.~A. And {Morgan}, L.~K. And {White}, G.~J.
(2007)
Triggered star formation within the bright-rimmed cloud SFO 75
Jun H
(2007)
Near-Infrared Polarization Images of the Orion Molecular Cloud 1 South Region
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
Wachter S
(2008)
An infrared ring around the magnetar SGR 1900+14.
in Nature
Leroy A
(2008)
THE STAR FORMATION EFFICIENCY IN NEARBY GALAXIES: MEASURING WHERE GAS FORMS STARS EFFECTIVELY
in The Astronomical Journal
L. Cioni M
(2008)
AGB stars as tracers of metallicity and mean age across M 33
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Wright N
(2008)
Extremely red stellar objects revealed by IPHAS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coppin K
(2008)
Testing the evolutionary link between submillimetre galaxies and quasars: CO observations of QSOs at z ~ 2
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ivison R
(2008)
Interferometric imaging of the high-redshift radio galaxy, 4C 60.07: an SMA, Spitzer and VLA study reveals a binary AGN/starburst
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Description | JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey |
Organisation | Leiden University |
Department | Leiden Observatory |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | participated in drafting the proposal; participated in the observations; participated in drafting the science papers |
Collaborator Contribution | participated in drafting the proposal; participated in the observations; participated in drafting the science papers |
Impact | See Wilson et al. MNRAS (2012) 424 (4): 3050-3080. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21453.x and references therein. |
Description | JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey |
Organisation | McMaster University |
Department | Department of Physics & Astronomy |
Country | Canada |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | participated in drafting the proposal; participated in the observations; participated in drafting the science papers |
Collaborator Contribution | participated in drafting the proposal; participated in the observations; participated in drafting the science papers |
Impact | See Wilson et al. MNRAS (2012) 424 (4): 3050-3080. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21453.x and references therein. |
Description | JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey |
Organisation | Open University |
Department | School of Physical Sciences |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | participated in drafting the proposal; participated in the observations; participated in drafting the science papers |
Collaborator Contribution | participated in drafting the proposal; participated in the observations; participated in drafting the science papers |
Impact | See Wilson et al. MNRAS (2012) 424 (4): 3050-3080. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21453.x and references therein. |
Description | Polarimetry for CanariCam |
Organisation | University of Florida |
Department | Department of Physics |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Design and scientific justification for adding polarimetry to CanariCam, a mid-IR imager for GranTecan. |
Collaborator Contribution | Provided the imager/spectrometer |
Impact | Guaranteed time on GranTecan telescope, resulting in publications |
Description | SHADES |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Active SHADES member - observing and scientific input |
Collaborator Contribution | led from Edinburgh |
Impact | about 5 refereed papers |
Description | THINGS, The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey |
Organisation | Max Planck Society |
Department | Max Planck Institute for Astronomy |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Co-wrote and co-led the collaboration; responsible for the observations and 33% of the calibration and reduction; involved in all science papers |
Collaborator Contribution | Co-wrote and co-led the collaboration; responsible for the observations of the other 66% of the calibration and reduction; involved in all science papers |
Impact | See The Astronomical Journal Article Compilations: http://iopscience.iop.org/1538-3881/page/THINGS |
Description | THINGS, The HI Nearby Galaxy Survey |
Organisation | University of Cape Town |
Department | Department of Astronomy |
Country | South Africa |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Co-wrote and co-led the collaboration; responsible for the observations and 33% of the calibration and reduction; involved in all science papers |
Collaborator Contribution | Co-wrote and co-led the collaboration; responsible for the observations of the other 66% of the calibration and reduction; involved in all science papers |
Impact | See The Astronomical Journal Article Compilations: http://iopscience.iop.org/1538-3881/page/THINGS |
Description | UH-Japanese polarization survey |
Organisation | National Astronomical Observatory of Japan |
Country | Japan |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Provided the polarization modules for the near-IR survey and scientific input |
Collaborator Contribution | Provided the survey telescope and three-channel camera near-IR camera |
Impact | 2013ApJ...765L...6K 2012AAS...22052308K 2011ApJ...741...35K 2010ApJ...722L..23N 2010OLEB...40..335F 2009ApJ...692L..88F 2008AJ....136..621K 2008ApJ...677L..39H 2007PASJ...59..519N 2007PASJ...59..507S 2007PASJ...59..487K |