Research in Theoretical Astrophysics: Accretion, Structure and Evolution in Gravitating Systems
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
We propose to undertake a broad programme of research in theoretical astrophysics. This research will be centered around accretion, structure and evolution in many astrophysical systems. Accretion is the process whereby a gravitating body accumulates mass from its surroundings. As the mass falls towards the body it can give up energy in the form of heat and light. Accretion onto a black hole is the most efficient way of extracting energy from normal matter. Astrophysical systems powered by accretion are among the luminous in the universe. Gravity not only powers these systems but determines their large scaled structure and long term evolution. The systems we aim to study cover many length scales, from compact binary star systems which would happily fit inside the Sun to colliding galaxies which consist of many billions of Sun-like stars.
Publications
Lodato G
(2009)
Black hole mergers: can gas discs solve the 'final parsec' problem?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tanvir N
(2012)
The structure of star clusters in the outer halo of M31 Halo star clusters of M31
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Assmann P
(2013)
A possible formation scenario for dwarf spheroidal galaxies - II. A parameter study
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith M
(2007)
The RAVE survey: constraining the local Galactic escape speed
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hague P
(2014)
Dark matter in disc galaxies - II. Density profiles as constraints on feedback scenarios
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cole D
(2012)
The mass distribution of the Fornax dSph: constraints from its globular cluster distribution The mass distribution of the Fornax dSph
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zubovas K
(2013)
AGN outflows trigger starbursts in gas-rich galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hague P
(2013)
Dark matter in disc galaxies - I. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo method and application to DDO 154
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Grand R
(2015)
Impact of radial migration on stellar and gas radial metallicity distribution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nayakshin S
(2013)
Hydrogen-losing planets in transition discs around young protostars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nayakshin S
(2015)
Tidal Downsizing model - III. Planets from sub-Earths to brown dwarfs: structure and metallicity preferences
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Assmann P
(2013)
A possible formation scenario for dwarf spheroidal galaxies - I. Fiducial model
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McMillan P
(2007)
The haloes of merger remnants
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dunhill A
(2014)
Misaligned accretion on to supermassive black hole binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lodato G
(2009)
Stellar disruption by a supermassive black hole: is the light curve really proportional to t -5/3 ?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bonnivard V
(2015)
Dark matter annihilation and decay in dwarf spheroidal galaxies: the classical and ultrafaint dSphs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nayakshin S
(2011)
Formation of terrestrial planet cores inside giant planet embryos Solid cores inside giant planet embryos
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nayakshin S
(2012)
An alternative origin for debris rings of planetesimals Origin of planetesimals
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ural U
(2015)
An inefficient dwarf: chemical abundances and the evolution of the Ursa Minor dwarf spheroidal galaxy
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Deegan P
(2007)
Constraining the number of compact remnants near Sgr A*
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zubovas K
(2013)
AGN outflows trigger starbursts in gas-rich galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
King A
(2010)
Black hole outflows
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
King A
(2010)
The accretion disc dynamo in the solar nebula
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Assmann P
(2013)
A possible formation scenario for dwarf spheroidal galaxies - I. Fiducial model
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nayakshin S
(2014)
Two-phase model for black hole feeding and feedback
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hands T
(2014)
Understanding the assembly of Kepler's compact planetary systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Deegan P
(2009)
The outburst duration and duty cycle of GRSâ??1915+105
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Evans P
(2009)
The unusual 2006 dwarf nova outburst of GK Persei
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dhanoa H
(2014)
Pressure-driven fragmentation of multiphase clouds at high redshift
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Page K
(2010)
Swift observations of the X-ray and UV evolution of V2491 Cyg (Nova Cyg 2008 No. 2)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Knevitt G
(2014)
Heating and ionization of the primordial intergalactic medium by high-mass X-ray binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nayakshin S
(2014)
Differentiation of silicates and iron during formation of Mercury and high-density exoplanets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cole D
(2011)
Weakening dark matter cusps by clumpy baryonic infall Weakening dark matter cusps by baryonic infall
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
King A
(2008)
Accretion rates and beaming in ultraluminous X-ray sources
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Nayakshin S
(2011)
The tidal downsizing hypothesis for planet formation and the composition of Solar system comets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Troja E
(2008)
Different progenitors of short hard gamma-ray bursts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
King A
(2009)
Masses, beaming and Eddington ratios in ultraluminous X-ray sources
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
King A
(2009)
RS Ophiuchi: thermonuclear explosion or disc instability?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
King A
(2014)
HLX-1 may be an SS433 system
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Jones CM
(2014)
Self-poisoning of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by interrupting siderophore recycling.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Nayakshin S
(2017)
Dawes Review 7: The Tidal Downsizing Hypothesis of Planet Formation
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
King A
(2014)
Astronomy. Testing the limits of accretion.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Odenkirchen M
(2009)
KINEMATICS OF THE TIDAL DEBRIS OF THE GLOBULAR CLUSTER PALOMAR 5
in The Astronomical Journal
Zwitter T
(2008)
THE RADIAL VELOCITY EXPERIMENT (RAVE): SECOND DATA RELEASE
in The Astronomical Journal
Bartko H
(2010)
AN EXTREMELY TOP-HEAVY INITIAL MASS FUNCTION IN THE GALACTIC CENTER STELLAR DISKS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gingell P
(2015)
THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL EVOLUTION OF ION-SCALE CURRENT SHEETS: TEARING AND DRIFT-KINK INSTABILITIES IN THE PRESENCE OF PROTON TEMPERATURE ANISOTROPY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Fragos T
(2009)
TRANSIENT LOW-MASS X-RAY BINARY POPULATIONS IN ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES NGC 3379 AND NGC 4278
in The Astrophysical Journal
Wang J
(2009)
EPISODIC RANDOM ACCRETION AND THE COSMOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE SPINS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Hague P
(2015)
THE DEGENERACY OF M33 MASS MODELING AND ITS PHYSICAL IMPLICATIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bartko H
(2009)
EVIDENCE FOR WARPED DISKS OF YOUNG STARS IN THE GALACTIC CENTER
in The Astrophysical Journal
Description | DiRAC2: Recurrent Costs for 100 Tflop/s HPC cluster |
Amount | £391,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ST/K003259/1 |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2012 |
End | 01/2016 |
Description | DiRAC |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Department | Distributed Research Utilising Advanced Computing |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I am the PI for two research grants for the procurement and running of the Complexity@DiRAC High Performance Computing cluster at the University of Leicester. This cluster is now in active operation as a national HPC facility. |
Collaborator Contribution | DiRAC is the facility which provides HPC resources for the theoretical astrophysics and particle physics communities within STFC. |
Impact | The establishment and running of a new HPC cluster at the University of Leicester as part of the DiRAC national facility. |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Astronomy Ireland |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I spoke to about 100 people at the Astronomy Ireland meeting in November 2013 in Trinity College Dublin. My talk was very well received and I have been invited to give another talk to this audience at a later date. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.astronomy.ie/lecture201311.php |
Description | BBC Stargazing Live |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentations as part of the BBC Stargazing Live at the National Space Centre and at the University of Leicester, attended by approximately 50 people (2011), 50 people (2012), 300 people (2013), 100 people (2014). The presentation generated lots of questions and discussion from the audience. Local schools had an opportunity to visit the University which is good for inclusivity. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014 |
Description | Cafe Scientifique |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I spoke to the Nottingham Cafe Scientifique about various aspects of the research that myself and others are doing with DiRAC. About 40 people attended. I gave a 25 minute presentation which was followed by more than an hour of questions and discussion. One audience member wrote a blog piece about my talk. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://nottinghamscience.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/talk-building-galaxies-in-office.html |
Description | Royal Society Summer Exhibition |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Over the course of the four day, more than 600 people attended my talks. The Friday evening presentation was followed by more than an hour of audience questions. Several audience members contacted me to ask additional questions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | School Visit (Dublin) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Approximately 90 primary school students (3 classes) aged 8-12 years old attended my talks in Rathfarnham Parish National School. Following my visit, a number of students expressed interest in pursuing a career in science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Secular Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Spoke to about 50 members of the Leicester Secular Society. My talk generated considerable discussion among the members of the LSS. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
URL | http://www.leicestersecularsociety.org.uk/calendar/view_entry.php?id=1145&date=20121209 |