Gamma-Ray Bursts: their Nature and use as Cosmological Probes
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Gamma-ray bursts, usually known as GRBs, were originally discovered in the 1960s by orbiting military satellites, but only in 1997 was the distance to one first measured. To many astronomers' surprise it turned out to be about half way across the observable universe, which meant that GRBs are by far the most luminous objects known to science. This breakthrough was made possible by the detection of the faint, fading remnant of the GRB, a so-called afterglow, in optical light. GRBs themselves are characterised by the intense bursts of high-energy gamma-rays they produce, which only last typically a few seconds or minutes. By contrast, the afterglows, fade away over a period of days and weeks. Optical detection turned out to be critical because it provided a very accurate position for the GRB, and ultimately a spectroscopic redshift, which astronomers can easily translate into a measurement of distance. Since 1997, further research has shown that GRBs are produced when certain rare kinds of star, much more massive than the Sun, collapse at the end of their lives to form black-holes. In the process, by means we still don't understand, jets of material are ejected at velocities very close to the speed of light. These jets are the source of the flashes of gamma-rays we see, and when they crash into the tenuous gas surrounding the star, the afterglow light is produced. My research is aimed at better understanding these astonishing events, and using these ultimate cosmic light-houses to probe distant regions of the universe. The next few years promise to be a very exciting time in the GRB field thanks to the new US/UK/Italian satellite called Swift. This satellite detects around 100 GRBs per year, and rapidly transmits their positions to the ground. My own programs are largely concerned with following up these positions, to find and monitor afterglows, and to search for rare exciting types of GRBs. To do this I use the UK's RoboNet network of 3 large robotic telescopes sited at various locations around the world, along with many other powerful facilities, including the VLT and Gemini 8 m telescopes, the Hubble Space Telescope. A particularly exciting possibility is that with Swift we will discover GRBs at distances greater than any previous galaxy or quasar has been found. Since when we look across the universe we are looking backward in time, such a discovery would open a new window on the very earliest times, shortly after the Big Bang. At these distances galaxies and even quasars are expected to be rare and faint. GRBs by contrast should be bright enough to detect, and providing we can observe them quickly enough, should provide a great deal of information about the regions they occur in, and the state of matter in the universe at that time. My programmes have already contributed to discovering the two most distant GRBs to date, and have followed up one that has been tentatively claimed may be the most distant of them all. Another prime goal is to investigate the nature of so-called 'short duration' bursts. These events are very similar to the standard GRBs, but their gamma-ray flashes are briefer, often much less than a second. Only in the last year have afterglows been found for these bursts, and they seem to be a surpringly diverse population. A favourite idea is that they might be produced when two neutron-stars, extremely dense objects with masses similar to that of the Sun, but sizes only a few miles across, collide and merge with each other releasing enormous reservoirs of energy. However, it is increasingly clear that some GRBs must come from different sources, in particular giant flares from highly magnetic neutron stars in nearby galaxies. Observing GRBs is intensive and time-critical, and requires observers to be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This grant would pay for a dedicated PDRA to share the burden of this effort and ensure the PI is able to effectively coordinate the followup.
Organisations
- University of Leicester (Lead Research Organisation)
- Max Planck Society (Collaboration)
- University of California, Berkeley (Collaboration)
- University of Amsterdam (Collaboration)
- University of Copenhagen (Collaboration)
- Reykjavík University (Collaboration)
- University of Hertfordshire (Collaboration)
- Space Telescope Science Institute (Collaboration)
- LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- University of Warwick (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Nial Tanvir (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
{Tanvir}, N.~R. And {Rol}, E. And {Levan}, A.~J. And {Svensson}, K. And {Fruchter}, A.~S. And {Granot}, J. And {O'Brien}, P.~T. And {Wiersema}, K. And {Starling}, R.~L.~C. And {Jakobsson}, P. And {Fynbo}, J. And {Hjorth}, J. And {Curran}, P.~A. And {van Der Horst}, A.~J. And {Kouveliotou}, C. And {Racusin}, J.~L. And {Burrows}, D.~N. And {Genet}, F.
(2010)
Late-time Observations of GRB 080319B: Jet Break, Host Galaxy, and Accompanying Supernova
in \apj
{Berger}, E. And {Zauderer}, B.~A. And {Levan}, A. And {Margutti}, R. And {Laskar}, T. And {Fong}, W. And {Mangano}, V. And {Fox}, D.~B. And {Tunnicliffe}, R.~L. And {Chornock}, R. And {Tanvir}, N.~R. And {Menten}, K.~M. And {Hjorth}, J. And {Roth}, K. And {Dupuy}, T.~J.
(2013)
The Afterglow and ULIRG Host Galaxy of the Dark Short GRB 120804A
in \apj
{Perley}, D.~A. And {Cenko}, S.~B. And {Corsi}, A. And {Tanvir}, N.~R. And {Levan}, A.~J. And {Kann}, D.~A. And {Sonbas}, E. And {Wiersema}, K. And {Zheng}, W. And {Zhao}, X.-H. And {Bai}, J.-M. And {Bremer}, M. And {Castro-Tirado}, A.~J. And {Chang}, L. And {Clubb}, K.~I. And {Frail}, D. And {Fruchter}, A. And {G{\"o}{\u G}{\"u}{\c S}}, E. And {Greiner}, J. And {G{\"u}ver}, T. And {Horesh}, A. And {Filippenko}, A.~V. And {Klose}, S. And {Mao}, J. And {Morgan}, A.~N. And {Pozanenko}, A.~S. And
(2014)
The Afterglow of GRB 130427A from 1 to 10$^{16}$ GHz
in \apj
{Lewis}, G.~F. And {Braun}, R. And {McConnachie}, A.~W. And {Irwin}, M.~J. And {Ibata}, R.~A. And {Chapman}, S.~C. And {Ferguson}, A.~M.~N. And {Martin}, N.~F. And {Fardal}, M. And {Dubinski}, J. And {Widrow}, L. And {Mackey}, A.~D. And {Babul}, A. And {Tanvir}, N.~R. And {Rich}, M.
(2013)
PAndAS in the Mist: The Stellar and Gaseous Mass within the Halos of M31 and M33
in \apj
{Rowlinson}, A. And {O'Brien}, P.~T. And {Tanvir}, N.~R. And {Zhang}, B. And {Evans}, P.~A. And {Lyons}, N. And {Levan}, A.~J. And {Willingale}, R. And {Page}, K.~L. And {Onal}, O. And {Burrows}, D.~N. And {Beardmore}, A.~P. And {Ukwatta}, T.~N. And {Berger}, E. And {Hjorth}, J. And {Fruchter}, A.~S. And {Tunnicliffe}, R.~L. And {Fox}, D.~B. And {Cucchiara}, A.
(2010)
The unusual X-ray emission of the short Swift GRB 090515: evidence for the formation of a magnetar?
in \mnras
Ferrero P.
(2007)
Constraints on an optical afterglow and on supernova light following the short burst GRB 050813
in ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL
Schulze S
(2012)
Galaxy counterparts of intervening high- z sub-DLAs/DLAs and Mg ii absorbers towards gamma-ray bursts
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Wiersema K
(2008)
Spectroscopy and multiband photometry of the afterglow of intermediate duration ? -ray burst GRB 040924 and its host galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vergani S
(2011)
GRB 091127/SN 2009nz and the VLT/X-shooter spectroscopy of its host galaxy: probing the faint end of the mass-metallicity relation
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
D'Elia V
(2010)
VLT/X-shooter spectroscopy of the GRB 090926A afterglow
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Elliott J
(2013)
The low-extinction afterglow in the solar-metallicity host galaxy of ? -ray burst 110918A
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Curran P
(2008)
Robust photometric redshift determinations of gamma-ray burst afterglows at z ? 2
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Young D
(2008)
Core-collapse supernovae in low-metallicity environments and future all-sky transient surveys
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Guidorzi C
(2009)
Rise and fall of the X-ray flash 080330: an off-axis jet?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Ugarte Postigo A
(2014)
Spectroscopy of the short-hard GRB 130603B The host galaxy and environment of a compact object merger?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Thöne C
(2010)
Photometry and spectroscopy of GRB 060526: a detailed study of the afterglow and host galaxy of a z = 3.2 gamma-ray burst
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Thöne C
(2008)
The host of GRB 060206: kinematics of a distant galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Michalowski M
(2014)
Spatially-resolved dust properties of the GRB 980425 host galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Krühler T
(2013)
Molecular hydrogen in the damped Lyman a system towards GRB 120815A at z = 2.36
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Ugarte Postigo A
(2012)
Pre-ALMA observations of GRBs in the mm/submm range
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Van Der Horst A
(2008)
Detailed study of the GRB 030329 radio afterglow deep into the non-relativistic phase
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
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
Covino S
(2010)
Challenging gamma-ray burst models through the broadband dataset of GRB 060908
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Castro-Tirado A
(2010)
GRB 021004: Tomography of a gamma-ray burst progenitor and its host galaxy
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Gomboc A.
(2008)
MULTIWAVELENGTH ANALYSIS OF THE INTRIGUING GRB 061126: THE REVERSE SHOCK SCENARIO AND MAGNETIZATION
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Ruiz-Velasco A. E.
(2007)
Detection of GRB 060927 at
z=5.47:: Implications for the use of gamma-ray bursts as probes of the end of the dark ages
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Willingale R.
(2007)
Testing the standard fireball model of gamma-ray bursts using late X-ray afterglows measured by
Swift
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Watson D.
(2006)
A log
N
HI=22.6 damped Lya absorber in a dark gamma-ray burst:: The environment of GRB 050401
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Starling R. L. C.
(2008)
Gamma-ray burst afterglows as probes of environment and blast wave physics.: II.: The distribution of
p and structure of the circumburst medium
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Mundell C. G.
(2007)
The remarkable afterglow of GRB 061007: Implications for optical flashes and GRB fireballs
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Jaunsen A. O.
(2008)
GRB 070306: A highly extinguished afterglow
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Melandri A.
(2008)
THE EARLY-TIME OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF GAMMA-RAY BURST AFTERGLOWS
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Rol Evert
(2007)
Grb 051022: Physical parameters and extinction of a prototype dark burst
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Page K. L.
(2007)
GRB 061121: Broadband spectral evolution through the prompt and afterglow phases of a bright burst
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Levan A. J.
(2006)
The first
Swift X-ray flash:: The faint afterglow of XRF 050215B
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Andersson N
(2013)
The transient gravitational-wave sky
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Greiner J
(2011)
GRIPS - Gamma-Ray Imaging, Polarimetry and Spectroscopy
in Experimental Astronomy
Den Herder J
(2011)
ORIGIN: metal creation and evolution from the cosmic dawn
in Experimental Astronomy
Roy R
(2013)
SN 2007uy - metamorphosis of an aspheric Type Ib explosion
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Starling R
(2011)
Discovery of the nearby long, soft GRB 100316D with an associated supernova
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Svensson K
(2010)
The host galaxies of core-collapse supernovae and gamma-ray bursts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Starling R
(2013)
X-ray absorption evolution in gamma-ray bursts: intergalactic medium or evolutionary signature of their host galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Church R
(2011)
Implications for the origin of short gamma-ray bursts from their observed positions around their host galaxies Spatial offsets of short-duration GRBs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rowlinson A
(2013)
Signatures of magnetar central engines in short GRB light curves
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Levan A
(2008)
On the nature of the short-duration GRB 050906 ? On the nature of the short-duration GRB 050906
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chapman R
(2009)
Short gamma-ray bursts from SGR giant flares and neutron star mergers: two populations are better than one
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Page K
(2009)
Multiwavelength observations of the energetic GRB 080810: detailed mapping of the broad-band spectral evolution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Guidorzi C
(2011)
A faint optical flash in dust-obscured GRB 080603A: implications for GRB prompt emission mechanisms Prompt and afterglow emission of GRB 080603A
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
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
Description | Iceland Research Excellence Grant |
Amount | £2,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Icelandic Centre for Research |
Sector | Public |
Country | Iceland |
Start | 04/2008 |
End | 04/2011 |
Description | Partnership in Science grant |
Amount | £2,830 (GBP) |
Organisation | British Council |
Department | British Council and Platform Beta Techniek |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2009 |
End | 09/2009 |
Description | STFC studentship |
Amount | £51,010 (GBP) |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2007 |
End | 09/2010 |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | Liverpool John Moores University |
Department | Astrophysics Research Institute |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | Max Planck Society |
Department | Max Planck Institute For Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | Reykjavík University |
Department | Department of Physics |
Country | Iceland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | Space Telescope Science Institute |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | University of Amsterdam |
Department | Department of Astrophysics |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | University of Bristol |
Department | School of Physics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | University of California, Berkeley |
Department | Department of Astronomy |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | University of Copenhagen |
Department | Dark Cosmology Centre |
Country | Denmark |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | University of Hertfordshire |
Department | School of Physics and Astronomy |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | GRB follow-up collaborations |
Organisation | University of Warwick |
Department | Department of Physics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has played a leading role in the world-wide GRB follow-up activity, which has been greatly enhanced by collaboration with these many groups. The mutual benefits are access to facilities which one wouldn't otherwise have direct access to, sharing workload during time-critical follow-up periods, scientific cross-fertilisation of ideas. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have collaborated with Prof Bremer's group in Bristol on studies of galaxies at very high redshifts, as selected by gamma-ray bursts. |
Impact | The outputs are largely the scientific papers already listed. In addition, a number of our results have generated media interest. We have supported (in the sense of helping organise, attending and speaking at etc.) meetings amongst the collaborators. These collaborations have also been vital to the work of PhD students at Leicester under my supervision. |
Description | Astronomical Society, Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk and power-point show on the high redshift universe, which generated much interest. Much discussion with participants. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
Description | Astronomical Society, Derby |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk entitled the biggest bangs in the universe, which generated much discussion. Lengthy Q&A session |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | Astronomical Society, Leicester |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk by grant-funded post-doc on his research. Very interactive audience. Much discussion after talk. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | Astronomical Society, Letchworth |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Discussed record-breaking gamma-ray burst 090423, which generated much interest/discussion. Usual Q&A session |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | Astronomical Society, Letchworth |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk on gamma-ray bursts Length Q&A session |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
Description | GRB 080319B |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We put out a press release about our contribution to the discovery and study of the brightest light source ever seen in the Universe (GRB080319B). This appeared on many news web sites around the world. Lots of discussion on-line. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
Description | GRB 090423 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The press-releases on our work were picked up by media world-wide. I gave many interviews to radio stations (including radio 4 and radio 5 in UK), web-site maintainers, newspaper and magazine journalists etc. A great deal of on-line discussion about our work. As noted above, story picked up by many media, so I can't give a full response from the drop-down menu in question 5.9 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | Heart of England Astronomical Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talked on record-breaking gamma-ray burst 090423, which generated much interest. Lengthy Q&A session |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | Inaugural lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk given to members of the public, which was well received. Lots of post-talk discussions and questions |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
Description | Manchester Instititute of Physics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk and power-point show on results from the Hubble Space Telescope, with an emphasis on work in which I had been involved. This generated much interest and audience participation. Lengthy Q&A session with audience following talk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
Description | Photographic exhibition |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I was one of the astronomers selected for portrait and highlighting their work, as part of a photographic exhibition funded by STFC and RAS as part of the international year of astronomy. Exhibition toured the country and was on web. For example, see website http://www.maxalexander.com/astronomy/ |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
Description | School visit to department |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Gave a talk on science research, and careers in science. Pupils particularly interested in what degree courses would be most useful if they wanted to follow a career in research. School sent note of thanks for talk. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |