High Energy Astrophysics at Southampton
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Southampton
Department Name: Sch of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
On the smallest scales we are interested in why pulsars seem to favour the low neutral hydrogen environments in the SMC. We are also interested in the products of stellar collisions and near misses in the high density environment of globular clusters, and in studying the compact objects (ie black holes, neutron stars, or white dwarfs) in our Galaxy which are strong emitter of optical light from hydgrogen atoms. Some galactic X-ray binary sources, which consist of black hole of similar mass to our sun together with a more normal star have, as well as accretion discs, through which matter spirals onto the black hole, strong jets. We want to understand the relationship between the emission from jets and from the hot X-ray emitting coronae and to find out how the jet might emerge from the corona. In some cases the disappearance of the inner disc is followed by ejection of material along the jet and we shall determine whether such behaviour is typical in Active Galaxies, ie galaxies whose emission is powered material falling onto (ie being accreted) by a massive black hole. In the 20-100 keV band where absorption of photons by cold gas is unimportant, and so we obtain a very clear view, we are surveying the Galactic Plane with INTEGRAL to determine an unbiased census of compact objects. As time goes on, we will extend that survey to the extragalactic sky. We study the X-ray variability of Active Galaxies to determine how they relate to galactic X-ray binaries sources and whether characteristic timescales reflect only mass or another parameter such as accretion rate. We are interested in the binary populations of nearby galaxies and in the so-called `ultra luminous X-ray sources (ULXs)'. ULXs may be the long sought after black holes with masses intermediate between those of galactic binaries and Active Galaxies and so are very important for testing mass-based scaling relationships. We are interested in how the emission in different wavebands (Gamma-ray, X-ray, optical/IR, radio) in binaries and Active Galaxies is related and what is the dependence on mass. We are interested how the jet emission from Active Galaxies heats clusters of galaxies. On the largest scales, we are interested in whether the different faint source populations which we see in the radio, X-ray and IR bands are just different manifestations of the same underlying phenomenon and how massive black hole growth might be related to growth of the galaxy in which the black hole lives. We are also building detailed theoretical models, using computers, to explain the complicated variability which we see in the sky at high energies.
Organisations
Publications
Niemela V
(2008)
The very massive X-ray bright binary system Wack 2134 (= WR 21a) ?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Goodger J
(2008)
Inverse Compton emission from the lobes of 3Câ??353
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kording E
(2006)
Jet-dominated advective systems: radio and X-ray luminosity dependence on the accretion rate
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sale S
(2009)
High spatial resolution Galactic 3D extinction mapping with IPHAS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McHardy I
(2007)
Simultaneous X-ray and infrared variability in the quasar 3C273 - II. Confirmation of the correlation and X-ray lag X-ray and IR variability in 3C273 - II
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Witham A
(2008)
The IPHAS catalogue of Ha emission-line sources in the northern Galactic plane
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fender R
(2006)
A transient relativistic radio jet from Cygnus X-1 Cygnus X-1 transient jet
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barnes A
(2007)
Kinematical studies of the low-mass X-ray binary GR Mus (XB 1254-690) GR Mus
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lucas P
(2008)
The UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Del Santo M
(2009)
Broad-band X-ray spectral evolution of GX 339-4 during a state transition ?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coe M
(2009)
An X-ray and optical study of the new SMC X-ray binary pulsar system SXP7.92 and its probable optical counterpart, AzV285
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Moss D
(2007)
A deep Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope 610-MHz survey of the 1HXMM-Newton/Chandra survey field
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McGowan K
(2008)
The Chandra Small Magellanic Cloud Wing Survey - the search for X-ray binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Witham A
(2007)
Newly discovered cataclysmic variables from the INT/WFC photometric Ha survey of the northern Galactic plane Newly discovered CVs from IPHAS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McGowan K
(2008)
Optical and X-ray variability of two Small Magellanic Cloud X-ray binary pulsars - SXP46.6 and SXP6.85 SXP's 46.6 and 6.85 optical/X-ray variability
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McHardy I
(2007)
Discovery of multiple Lorentzian components in the X-ray timing properties of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Ark 564 Multiple Lorentzians in Ark 564
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McGowan K
(2007)
X-ray bright sources in the Chandra Small Magellanic Cloud Wing Survey - detection of two new pulsars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McBride V
(2008)
Spectral distribution of Be/X-ray binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud ?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Breedt E
(2009)
Long-term optical and X-ray variability of the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 79
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Brocksopp C
(2007)
A highly polarized radio jet during the 1998 outburst of the black hole transient XTE J1748-288
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Molina M
(2006)
INTEGRAL observations of active galactic nuclei obscured by the Galactic plane
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Miller-Jones J
(2006)
Opening angles, Lorentz factors and confinement of X-ray binary jets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tudose V
(2006)
The large-scale jet-powered radio nebula of Circinus X-1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Rosa A
(2009)
Hard X-ray observations of PSR J1833-1034 and its associated pulsar wind nebula
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hill A
(2007)
An unexpected outburst from A0535+262 An unexpected outburst from A0535+262
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Belloni T
(2006)
INTEGRAL/RXTE high-energy observation of a state transition of GX 339-4
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Arvalo P
(2008)
X-ray variability of the Seyfert 1 Markarian 335: power spectrum and time lags
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Russell D
(2007)
Evidence for a jet contribution to the optical/infrared light of neutron star X-ray binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Knigge C
(2007)
Erratum: The donor stars of cataclysmic variables
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Arévalo P
(2008)
Correlated X-ray/optical variability in the quasar MR 2251-178
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jetha N
(2007)
Active galactic nuclei heating in the centres of galaxy groups: a statistical study
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pavlovski G
(2008)
Morphology of flows and buoyant bubbles in the Virgo cluster
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kaiser C
(2007)
Luminosity function, sizes and FR dichotomy of radio-loud AGN
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Molina M
(2007)
Broad-band X-ray spectrum of the newly discovered broad-line radio galaxy IGR J21247+5058
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Brocksopp C
(2007)
Three episodes of jet activity in the Fanaroff-Riley type II radio galaxy B0925+420 Three episodes of jet activity in B0925+420
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Russell D
(2008)
Polarized infrared emission from X-ray binary jets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Witham A
(2006)
The properties of cataclysmic variables in photometric Ha surveys Properties of CVs in Ha surveys
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gonzlez-Solares E
(2008)
Initial data release from the INT Photometric H Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Knigge C
(2008)
The intrinsic fraction of broad-absorption line quasars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kaiser C
(2006)
The flat synchrotron spectra of partially self-absorbed jets revisited
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Russell D
(2007)
The jet-powered optical nebula of Cygnus X-1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hill A
(2008)
Probing the nature of IGR J16493-4348: spectral and temporal analysis of the 1-100 keV emission Probing the nature of IGR J16493-4348
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cornelisse R
(2007)
A signature of the donor star in the extra-galactic X-ray binary LMC X-2
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coe M
(2007)
Now you see it, now you don't - the circumstellar disc in the GRO J1008-57 system
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McBride V
(2007)
INTEGRAL observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dean A
(2008)
INTEGRAL observations of PSR J1811-1925 and its associated pulsar wind nebula
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Rushton A
(2007)
First e-VLBI observations of GRS 1915+105
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Peacock M
(2009)
Wide Field CAMera survey of M31 globular clusters: low-mass X-ray binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Muñoz-Darias T
(2009)
Dynamical constraints on the neutron star mass in EXO 0748-676
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Best P
(2006)
AGN-controlled cooling in elliptical galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters