Extragalactic Astronomy at Durham 2008-2013
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Over recent years observational astronomers at Durham have been at the forefront of many major advances in the study of galaxies and cosmology. We have a publication and citation record which we believe speaks for itself (see proposal introduction). Durham astronomers currently lead major international projects that exploit many of the the world's foremost ground and space observatories. We will capitalize on our proven track record in AGN studies, precision spectrophotometric analysis of stellar populations in nearby galaxies, multiwavelength studies of galaxy populations at high redshift and panoramic QSO and galaxy surveys, to answer open questions which lie at the core of modern astrophysics. In this proposal we present the case for support of a coherent and comprehensive programme that builds on our strengths and seizes new opportunities. Our programme addresses key questions in the STFC Roadmap, such as ``What are the laws of physics in extreme conditions?'', ``How do galaxies, stars and planets form and evolve?'' and ``What is the Universe made of and how does it evolve?''. This proposal is constructed around the four core themes of our research: Theme A: AGN: outflows from black holes their growth and environment Theme B: Galaxy evolution and archaeology and closely related to this; Theme C: feedback and the formation of galaxies Theme D: Survey cosmology, using galaxies and clusters as probes of large scale structure and evolution There is a well established deep rooted synergy between our work and the research of the ICC group, and the instrumentation group (CfAI).
Publications
Geach J
(2011)
4098 galaxy clusters to z~ 0.6 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey equatorial Stripe 82 A catalogue of Stripe 82 clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Geach J
(2011)
ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE MOLECULAR GAS FRACTION OF STAR-FORMING GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Price J
(2011)
The stellar populations of bright coma cluster galaxies Stellar populations of bright Coma galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Benson A
(2011)
Accretion shocks and cold filaments in galaxy formation Accretion shocks and cold filaments
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Casey C
(2011)
Spectroscopic characterization of 250-µm-selected hyper-luminous star-forming galaxies 250-µm galaxies at z>1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Abramowski A
(2011)
H.E.S.S. constraints on dark matter annihilations towards the sculptor and carina dwarf galaxies
in Astroparticle Physics
Balogh M
(2010)
The stellar and hot gas content of low-mass galaxy clusters Stars and hot gas in low-mass galaxy clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ibar E
(2010)
Deep multi-frequency radio imaging in the Lockman Hole â?? II. The spectral index of submillimetre galaxies The radio spectral index of sub-mm galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Mahony E
(2010)
The RASSâ??6dFGS catalogue: a sample of X-ray selected AGN from the 6dF Galaxy Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ebeling H
(2010)
The X-ray brightest clusters of galaxies from the Massive Cluster Survey The X-ray brightest MACS clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rex M
(2010)
The far-infrared/submillimeter properties of galaxies located behind the Bullet cluster
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Silverman J
(2010)
THE EXTENDED CHANDRA DEEP FIELD-SOUTH SURVEY: OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY OF FAINT X-RAY SOURCES WITH THE VLT AND KECK
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Coppin K
(2010)
Detection of molecular gas in a distant submillimetre galaxy at z= 4.76 with Australia Telescope Compact Array CO(2-1) in an SMG at z = 4.76
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Luo B
(2010)
IDENTIFICATIONS AND PHOTOMETRIC REDSHIFTS OF THE 2 Ms CHANDRA DEEP FIELD-SOUTH SOURCES
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Sobral D
(2010)
The clustering and evolution of Ha emitters at z ~ 1 from HiZELS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hopwood R
(2010)
ULTRA DEEP AKARI OBSERVATIONS OF ABELL 2218: RESOLVING THE 15 µm EXTRAGALACTIC BACKGROUND LIGHT
in The Astrophysical Journal
Mullaney J
(2010)
Characterizing the far-infrared properties of distant X-ray detected AGNs: evidence for evolution in the infraredâ??X-ray luminosity ratio
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rawle T
(2010)
Deep Herschel view of obscured star formation in the Bullet cluster
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Russell H
(2010)
Chandra observation of two shock fronts in the merging galaxy cluster Abell 2146 The merging cluster Abell 2146
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Acero F
(2010)
First detection of VHE ? -rays from SN 1006 by HESS
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Braglia F
(2010)
Submillimetre observations of galaxy clusters with the BLAST: the star formation activity in Abell 3112 BLAST observations of Abell 3112
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Almeida U
(2010)
Particle acceleration and magnetic field structure in PKS 2155-304: optical polarimetric observations Optical polarimetry of PKS 2155-304
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Egami E
(2010)
The Herschel Lensing Survey (HLS): Overview
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Limousin M
(2010)
MACS J1423.8+2404: gravitational lensing by a massive, relaxed cluster of galaxies at z = 0.54
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| Description | The programme funded by this grant produce a number of observational insights into fundamental features of galaxies, black holes and large-scale structure. To give just one example, using the newly-completed Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) we undertook the first survey of extreme starburst galaxies in the distant Universe, demonstrating that these galaxies are very likely to be the progenitors of the most massive galaxies seen today in the local Universe, but seen in an early and very active phase of formation. |
| Exploitation Route | Further academic research or through the development of new facilities (e.g. ELT and SKA) or observational programmes. |
| Sectors | Education |
| URL | http://www.astro.dur.ac.uk/Cosmology |
| Description | 6dFGS survey |
| Organisation | Australian Astronomical Observatory |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Data analysis and construction of the FP catalogue, i.e. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014MNRAS.443.1231C |
| Collaborator Contribution | Many other science contributions, e.g. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014MNRAS.444.3926J http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014MNRAS.445.2677S http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016MNRAS.455..386S |
| Impact | now focused on mostly exclusively on 6dF++, i.e. TAIPAN http://www.taipan-survey.org/ Map the southern cosmography with ~110 k redshifts. First detailed map of the southern hemisphere peculiar velocities. |
| Description | 6dFGS survey |
| Organisation | Australian National University (ANU) |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Data analysis and construction of the FP catalogue, i.e. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014MNRAS.443.1231C |
| Collaborator Contribution | Many other science contributions, e.g. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014MNRAS.444.3926J http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014MNRAS.445.2677S http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016MNRAS.455..386S |
| Impact | now focused on mostly exclusively on 6dF++, i.e. TAIPAN http://www.taipan-survey.org/ Map the southern cosmography with ~110 k redshifts. First detailed map of the southern hemisphere peculiar velocities. |
| Description | Wide field astronomical surveys |
| Organisation | University of Hawaii |
| Department | Institute for Astronomy |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Durham an offical partnet in the Pan-STARRS consortium, which operate a telescope in Hawaii. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They provide the telscope and operations support. |
| Impact | The principle output is research papers published in refereed journals. |
| Start Year | 2007 |
| Description | Seminars and invited talks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | All of the co-applicants on this grants have given numberous seminars and invited talks at universities and international meetings and conferences. These activities help to enhance the wider knowledge of our research, and foster new collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008,2009,2010,2011,2012 |