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
Holoien T
(2017)
The ASAS-SN bright supernova catalogue - III. 2016
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Holoien T. W. -S.
(2016)
Discovery and Observations of the Unusually Luminous Type-Defying II-P/II-L Supernova ASASSN-13co
in ACTA ASTRONOMICA
Hopkins A
(2013)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): spectroscopic analysis
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hounsell R
(2011)
A very luminous, highly extinguished, very fast nova - V1721 Aquilae
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Hounsell R
(2010)
EXQUISITE NOVA LIGHT CURVES FROM THE SOLAR MASS EJECTION IMAGER (SMEI)
in The Astrophysical Journal
Hoyos C
(2011)
The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Survey - III. Structural parameters of galaxies using single Sérsic fits? Structural parameters of galaxies in Coma
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hurley K
(2010)
A new analysis of the short-duration, hard-spectrum GRB 051103, a possible extragalactic soft gamma repeater giant flare
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hwang K
(2010)
OGLE-2005-BLG-153: MICROLENSING DISCOVERY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A VERY LOW MASS BINARY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Häußler B
(2013)
MegaMorph - multiwavelength measurement of galaxy structure: complete Sérsic profile information from modern surveys
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ibar E
(2008)
Exploring the infrared/radio correlation at high redshift
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ibarra A
(2009)
Pre-nova X-ray observations of V2491 Cygni (Nova Cyg 2008b)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ilee J
(2013)
CO bandhead emission of massive young stellar objects: determining disc properties?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ivory C
(2011)
Spectroscopic confirmation of Ha-selected satellite galaxies Spectroscopy of satellite galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
James P
(2009)
The H a galaxy survey VII. The spatial distribution of star formation within disks and bulges
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
James P
(2008)
The H a Galaxy survey V. The star formation history of late-type galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
James P
(2011)
On the scarcity of Magellanic Cloud like satellites Magellanic satellite galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
James P
(2008)
The H a Galaxy Survey VI. Star-forming companions of nearby field galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
James P
(2008)
The H$\mathsf{\alpha}$ Galaxy survey IV. Star formation in the local Universe
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jarvis M
(2009)
The discovery of a typical radio galaxy at
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Jarvis M
(2010)
Herschel-ATLAS: the far-infrared-radio correlation at z < 0.5? The far-infrared-radio correlation at z < 0.5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jarvis M
(2013)
The VISTA Deep Extragalactic Observations (VIDEO) survey?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Joshi Y
(2009)
WASP-14b: 7.3 M J transiting planet in an eccentric orbit
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jurdana-Šepic R
(2011)
Historical light curve and search for previous outbursts of Nova KT Eridani (2009)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kains N
(2009)
A systematic fitting scheme for caustic-crossing microlensing events
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Karczmarek P
(2017)
The Araucaria Project: The Distance to the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy from Near-infrared Photometry of RR Lyrae Stars *
in The Astronomical Journal
Kawamura S
(2011)
The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna: DECIGO
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Kawamura S
(2008)
The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna; DECIGO
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Kawamura S
(2008)
The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna - DECIGO
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Kelvin L
(2018)
Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA): variation in galaxy structure across the green valley
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kelvin L
(2012)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Structural Investigation of Galaxies via Model Analysis GAMA: sigma
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kervella P
(2012)
The long-period Galactic Cepheid RS Puppis II. 3D structure and mass of the nebula from VLT/FORS polarimetry
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kervella P
(2008)
The long-period Galactic Cepheid RS Puppis I. A geometric distance from its light echoes
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Khosroshahi H
(2017)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): A "No Smoking" Zone for Giant Elliptical Galaxies?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Knapen J
(2009)
THE Ha GALAXY SURVEY. VIII. CLOSE COMPANIONS AND INTERACTIONS, AND THE DEFINITION OF STARBURSTS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kobayashi S
(2012)
EJECTION AND CAPTURE DYNAMICS IN RESTRICTED THREE-BODY ENCOUNTERS
in The Astrophysical Journal
KOBAYASHI S
(2012)
POLARIZATION IN VERY EARLY GAMMA-RAY BURST AFTERGLOW
in International Journal of Modern Physics: Conference Series
Kourkchi E
(2012)
Dwarf galaxies in the Coma cluster - I. Velocity dispersion measurements?† Coma dwarf galaxies - I. Velocity dispersions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kourkchi E
(2012)
Dwarf galaxies in the Coma cluster - II. Spectroscopic and photometric fundamental planes?† Coma dwarf galaxies - II. Fundamental Plane
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Krauss M
(2011)
EXPANDED VERY LARGE ARRAY NOVA PROJECT OBSERVATIONS OF THE CLASSICAL NOVA V1723 AQUILAE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Krieger N
(2017)
The Survey of Water and Ammonia in the Galactic Center (SWAG): Molecular Cloud Evolution in the Central Molecular Zone
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kriwattanawong W
(2011)
The galaxy population of Abell 1367: photometric and spectroscopic data
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kubas D
(2008)
Limits on additional planetary companions to OGLE 2005-BLG-390L
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kuncarayakti H
(2018)
SN 2017dio: A Type-Ic Supernova Exploding in a Hydrogen-rich Circumstellar Medium
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kunder A
(2013)
THE HORIZONTAL BRANCH OF NGC 1851: CONSTRAINTS FROM ITS RR LYRAE VARIABLES
in The Astronomical Journal
Lam M
(2018)
A bottom-up and top-down approach to cloud detection
Lepson J
(2017)
Measurement of L-shell transitions in M-shell ions in the laboratory and identification in stellar coronae
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
Li I
(2011)
Dependence of star formation activity on stellar mass and environment from the Redshift One LDSS-3 Emission line Survey SFR at z~ 1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lin Y
(2017)
Erratum: "Cloud Structure of Three Galactic Infrared Dark Star-forming Regions from Combining Ground and Space-based Bolometric Observations" (2017, ApJ, 840, 22)
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lin Y
(2017)
Cloud Structure of Three Galactic Infrared Dark Star-forming Regions from Combining Ground- and Space-based Bolometric Observations
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lindegren L
(2018)
Gaia Data Release 2 The astrometric solution
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 |