Astrophysics Research at Liverpool John Moores University
Lead Research Organisation:
Liverpool John Moores University
Department Name: Astrophysics Research Institute
Abstract
We propose to carry out a programme of research tackling cutting-edge astrophysical problems on a wide range of scales. Our work, which addresses several of PPARC's key scientific priorities, will be conducted under two main and interlinked themes: (i) Tme Domain Astrophysics (ii) Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei. In particular we wish to explore: the origin and wider importance of Gamma Ray Bursts, the most powerful explosions in the Universe; the fundamental properties of novae from observations of their explosions in our own and other galaxies; the structure of the Milky Way through microlensing studies; the environmental factors that influence galaxy evolution, and the part played in the development of galaxies by supermassive black holes. Our research uses the most advanced ground-based telescopes, space-borne satellites and data analysis tecniques to carry out observations from gamma rays to radio wavelengths and ARI staff are leading players in many of the new generation surveys. A significant fraction of our work involves time-domain studies, now made possible through our own robotic Liverpool Telescope project and our lead in developing global robotic telescope networks such as RoboNet. These projects are technically demanding and are supported at ARI by the latest developments in scheduling and robotic control software through e-Science programmes. The structure and organisation of the ARI is designed to deliver internationally excellent research, with efficient teaching programmes. Staff benefit from a continual programme of investment in research infrastructure and the ARI is a major international player in developing and exploiting outreach opportunities. The Institute in turn enjoys excellent support from the University which has enabled, for example, the recent appointment of several new staff to strenghten further our research work.
Publications
Tartaglia L
(2018)
The Early Detection and Follow-up of the Highly Obscured Type II Supernova 2016ija/DLT16am
in The Astrophysical Journal
Tanvir NR
(2009)
A gamma-ray burst at a redshift of z approximately 8.2.
in Nature
Tanvir N
(2012)
STAR FORMATION IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE: BEYOND THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
in The Astrophysical Journal
Sumi T
(2010)
A COLD NEPTUNE-MASS PLANET OGLE-2007-BLG-368Lb: Cold neptunes are common
in The Astrophysical Journal
Street R
(2013)
MOA-2010-BLG-073L: AN M-DWARF WITH A SUBSTELLAR COMPANION AT THE PLANET/BROWN DWARF BOUNDARY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Stott J
(2012)
The XMM Cluster Survey: the interplay between the brightest cluster galaxy and the intracluster medium via AGN feedback BCG AGN feedback and the ICM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Stott J
(2010)
THE XMM CLUSTER SURVEY: THE BUILD-UP OF STELLAR MASS IN BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXIES AT HIGH REDSHIFT
in The Astrophysical Journal
Steele IA
(2009)
Ten per cent polarized optical emission from GRB 090102.
in Nature
Steele I. A.
(2018)
VizieR Online Data Catalog: Polarimetry & photometry of GRB with RINGO2 (Steele+, 2017)
in VizieR Online Data Catalog
Steele I
(2018)
Optical polarimetry of KIC 8462852 in 2017 May-August
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Starling R
(2011)
Discovery of the nearby long, soft GRB 100316D with an associated supernova Discovery of GRB 100316D
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith R
(2010)
Ultraviolet tails and trails in cluster galaxies: a sample of candidate gaseous stripping events in Coma Gaseous stripping candidates in Coma
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith R
(2012)
The stellar initial mass function in red-sequence galaxies: 1-µm spectroscopy of Coma cluster galaxies with Subaru/FMOS The stellar IMF in red-sequence galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith R
(2008)
A large population of recently quenched red-sequence dwarf galaxies in the outskirts of the Coma cluster
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Smith R
(2012)
What drives the ultraviolet colours of passive galaxies? UV colours of passive galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith D
(2010)
When galaxies collide: understanding the broad absorption-line radio galaxy 4C +72.26
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith D
(2009)
An 80-kpc Lya halo around a high-redshift type-2 quasi-stellar object
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith D
(2011)
Herschel-ATLAS: counterparts from the ultraviolet-near-infrared in the science demonstration phase catalogue? Herschel-ATLAS: counterparts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Small E
(2013)
Star formation histories of resolved galaxies - I. The method
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Skowron J
(2011)
BINARY MICROLENSING EVENT OGLE-2009-BLG-020 GIVES VERIFIABLE MASS, DISTANCE, AND ORBIT PREDICTIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Simpson C
(2012)
Radio imaging of the Subaru/XMM-NewtonDeep Field- III. Evolution of the radio luminosity function beyond z= 1 Radio imaging of the SXDF - III.
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Simpson C
(2013)
Erratum: The luminosity dependence of the type 1 active galactic nucleus fraction
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sicardy B
(2011)
A Pluto-like radius and a high albedo for the dwarf planet Eris from an occultation.
in Nature
Shin I
(2011)
OGLE-2005-BLG-018: CHARACTERIZATION OF FULL PHYSICAL AND ORBITAL PARAMETERS OF A GRAVITATIONAL BINARY LENS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shin I
(2012)
MICROLENSING BINARIES DISCOVERED THROUGH HIGH-MAGNIFICATION CHANNEL
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shin I
(2012)
MICROLENSING BINARIES WITH CANDIDATE BROWN DWARF COMPANIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shin I
(2012)
CHARACTERIZING LOW-MASS BINARIES FROM OBSERVATION OF LONG-TIMESCALE CAUSTIC-CROSSING GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENTS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shara MM
(2017)
Proper-motion age dating of the progeny of Nova Scorpii AD 1437.
in Nature
Shafter A
(2009)
M31N 2007-11d: A SLOWLY RISING, LUMINOUS NOVA IN M31
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shafter A
(2011)
A SPITZER SURVEY OF NOVAE IN M31
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shafter A
(2011)
A SPECTROSCOPIC AND PHOTOMETRIC SURVEY OF NOVAE IN M31
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shafter A
(2012)
ON THE SPECTROSCOPIC CLASSES OF NOVAE IN M33
in The Astrophysical Journal
Scowcroft V
(2009)
The effect of metallicity on Cepheid magnitudes and the distance to M33
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Schwarz G
(2011)
SWIFT X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF CLASSICAL NOVAE. II. THE SUPER SOFT SOURCE SAMPLE
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Schaefer B
(2010)
DISCOVERY OF THE PREDICTED 2010 ERUPTION AND THE PRE-ERUPTION LIGHT CURVE FOR RECURRENT NOVA U SCORPII
in The Astronomical Journal
Schaefer B
(2011)
ECLIPSES DURING THE 2010 ERUPTION OF THE RECURRENT NOVA U SCORPII
in The Astrophysical Journal
Sbordone L
(2011)
Photometric signatures of multiple stellar populations in Galactic globular clusters
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sato S
(2009)
DECIGO: The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Sari R
(2010)
HYPERVELOCITY STARS AND THE RESTRICTED PARABOLIC THREE-BODY PROBLEM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Salaris M.
(2008)
The horizontal branch of ngc 1851: Constraints on the cluster subpopulations
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Salaris M
(2009)
SEMI-EMPIRICAL WHITE DWARF INITIAL-FINAL MASS RELATIONSHIPS: A THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF SYSTEMATIC UNCERTAINTIES DUE TO STELLAR EVOLUTION MODELS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Salaris M
(2008)
Stellar models with the ML2 theory of convection
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Salaris M
(2011)
Distance indicators from colour-magnitude-diagrams: main sequence, red clump and tip of the RGB
in Astrophysics and Space Science
Salaris M
(2010)
A LARGE STELLAR EVOLUTION DATABASE FOR POPULATION SYNTHESIS STUDIES. VI. WHITE DWARF COOLING SEQUENCES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Sahlén M
(2009)
The XMM Cluster Survey: forecasting cosmological and cluster scaling-relation parameter constraints
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ryu Y
(2010)
OGLE-2009-BLG-092/MOA-2009-BLG-137: A DRAMATIC REPEATING EVENT WITH THE SECOND PERTURBATION PREDICTED BY REAL-TIME ANALYSIS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Russeil D
(2011)
Giving physical significance to the Hi-GAL data: determining the distance of cold dusty cores in the Milky Way
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Title | Robotic Control Software |
Description | software developed to run the liverpool telescope in an autonomous fashion was licensed under GPL and released to Las Cumbres Observatory in return for 1200 hours guarenteed time on their telesopes. |
IP Reference | |
Protection | Copyrighted (e.g. software) |
Year Protection Granted | 2007 |
Licensed | Yes |
Impact | The robotic software is of course key to the whole operation of the telescope- without it the majority of the scientific papers produced would not have been possible. |
Description | Input to Parliamentary Inquiry |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Provision of evidence and acting as expert witness for House of Commons S&T Committee Inquiry into astronomy and particle physics. Recommendations in final report supporting the Liverpool Telescope and National Schools' Observatory. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | National Schools Observatory |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Enhanced interest and uptake of STEM subjects Increasing schools registration on NSO - more than 4000 currently |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014 |
URL | http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/ |
Description | National Schools' Observatory in FE Colleges |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Workshop Facilitator |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | 500 FE College lecturers and their students engaged with astronomical research using the Liverpool Telescope and resources of the NSO website. Over all NSO activity (Primary, Secondary, FE) over the period: 30,000 observing requests were delivered and just under 3,000,000 educational webpages viewed. This is in addition to the engagement activity entered into eVal for the previous period. www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
Description | National Schools' Observatory in Primary Schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Workshop Facilitator |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | 1000 Primary school teachers and their pupils engaged with astronomical research using the Liverpool Telescope and resources of the NSO website. Over all NSO activity (Primary, Secondary, FE) over the period: 30,000 observing requests were delivered and just under 3,000,000 educational webpages viewed. This is in addition to the engagement activity entered into eVal for the previous period. www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
Description | National Schools' Observatory in Secondary Schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Workshop Facilitator |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | 2500 Secondary school teachers and their pupils engaged with astronomical research using the Liverpool Telescope and resources of the NSO website. Over all NSO activity (Primary, Secondary, FE) over the period: 30,000 observing requests were delivered and just under 3,000,000 educational webpages viewed. This is in addition to the engagement activity entered into eVal for the previous period www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
Description | Press coverage relating to the Liverpool Telescope |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | 12+ significant stories covered by the media through press releases related to the Liverpool Telescope. This is in addition to the outputs reported for the previous period through eVal. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
Description | School and Public Talks |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 50+ public talks and 200+ schools talks based around science from the Liverpool Telescope. This is in addition to data entered through eVal for the previous period. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
Description | TV and radio coverage |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Contributions to TV and radio broadcasts featuring LIverpool Telescope science. Total 20+ in this reporting period. This is in addition to the outputs reported for the previous period through eVal. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |