Astronomy and Astrophysics at Edinburgh
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
An astonishing feature of modern astrophysical research is that we have in principle a chain of explanation that stretches from processes on cosmological scales of billions of light years, down to the creation of stars, planets around the stars and life on the planets. In a sense, this process is almost a closed loop: the early universe was once of subnuclear scale, so that quantum mechanical uncertainty is bound to seed fluctuations in density, which eventually collapse under gravity to make astronomical structures. This is the same physics of the very small that governs the formation of the atoms out of which we are all made.
But unanswered questions abound at all stages of this process. Our theories of the early universe and explanations of its current expansion rest on the concept that empty space can have weight: the so-called "dark energy". We need to study its properties and understand its origin. In so doing, we often assume that Einstein's relativity describes gravity correctly, but can we test this? If the standard theory is correct, dark matter is required, and we are driven to follow the processes by which it clumps, and by which the gas within these clumps evolves, eventally forming stars. New large telescopes on the ground, together with the Hubble Space Telescope, allow us to see this process in action and compare with computer simulations. Nearer to home, we can dissect galaxies such as our own Milky Way into individual stars, for the most detailed view of how they were assembled. And finally we can study how planets arise around these stars, both from new instruments that can measure the presence of "exoplanets" and by computer simulations of how they may be created. Finally, one can ask how life might arise in these early planetary systems, and how it can survive the hostile conditions of outer space.
Research in astronomy in Edinburgh attacks all these connected questions. Progress is rapid, and our understanding evolves rapidly. Major progress, even if not final answers, can be expected within a few years. This is an exciting time for our understanding of the universe and our place within it.
But unanswered questions abound at all stages of this process. Our theories of the early universe and explanations of its current expansion rest on the concept that empty space can have weight: the so-called "dark energy". We need to study its properties and understand its origin. In so doing, we often assume that Einstein's relativity describes gravity correctly, but can we test this? If the standard theory is correct, dark matter is required, and we are driven to follow the processes by which it clumps, and by which the gas within these clumps evolves, eventally forming stars. New large telescopes on the ground, together with the Hubble Space Telescope, allow us to see this process in action and compare with computer simulations. Nearer to home, we can dissect galaxies such as our own Milky Way into individual stars, for the most detailed view of how they were assembled. And finally we can study how planets arise around these stars, both from new instruments that can measure the presence of "exoplanets" and by computer simulations of how they may be created. Finally, one can ask how life might arise in these early planetary systems, and how it can survive the hostile conditions of outer space.
Research in astronomy in Edinburgh attacks all these connected questions. Progress is rapid, and our understanding evolves rapidly. Major progress, even if not final answers, can be expected within a few years. This is an exciting time for our understanding of the universe and our place within it.
Planned Impact
The research in this consolidated grant may be expected to have a general impact in three distinct ways:
(1) Impact in the form of developing knowledge for spin-out.
The outstanding example here is Blackford Analysis. This is a spin-out company, formed in 2010, applying algorithms developed in the astronomy research programme (some funded by rolling grant support) at IfA to medical imaging and security sectors. Former post-doc Dr Ben Panter is CEO. Alan Heavens continues to provide technical expertise and is a non-executive director. The programme has used students for consultancy work, and recruited students and postdocs, employing four people in its first year. Other similar cases of algorithm application are under consideration.
(2) Impact in the form of work of common interest with existing industry.
A good example of this is our collaboration with e2v on new-generation CCD detectors. We are developing the camera for NASA/JPL's High Altitude Lensing Observatory (HALO) balloon telescope, and e2v will supply detectors. In return, they will obtain data on detector performance in near-space conditions, which should help them bid for future space contracts with the European Space Agency.
(3) Impact in the form of outreach.
Edinburgh has a long-standing and proud record of achievement in this area, thanks to decades of outstanding work by the Royal Observatory Visitor Centre, jointly funded by the University of Edinburgh and STFC. Within the UK university sector, this programme is unusual in its breadth and scope, extending well beyond the normal expectation of public talks, press releases and media interviews. This is in part because IfA staff, post-docs and students have the opportunity to work collaboratively with Visitor Centre Staff, and also in part due to the unique advantages afforded by the ROE site, with its unusual combination of front-line astronomical research, world-leading instrument/technology development, and astronomical history/heritage. Activities include the annual ROE open days, school visits to ROE, weekly public observing, 'Meet The Astronomer' sessions, school visits (with the portable Starlab planetarium), Andy Lawrence's popular e-Astronomer blog, teacher training (including the development of educational resources for both Primary and Secondary teachers), adult 'continuing-education' certificated evening courses, and the development and operation of the Dark Sky Scotland and (most recently) Dark Sky England programmes. ROE is now also the Scottish centre for the European Space Agency led European Space Eduction Resource Office (ESERO), supporting Space Education throughout Scotland.
(1) Impact in the form of developing knowledge for spin-out.
The outstanding example here is Blackford Analysis. This is a spin-out company, formed in 2010, applying algorithms developed in the astronomy research programme (some funded by rolling grant support) at IfA to medical imaging and security sectors. Former post-doc Dr Ben Panter is CEO. Alan Heavens continues to provide technical expertise and is a non-executive director. The programme has used students for consultancy work, and recruited students and postdocs, employing four people in its first year. Other similar cases of algorithm application are under consideration.
(2) Impact in the form of work of common interest with existing industry.
A good example of this is our collaboration with e2v on new-generation CCD detectors. We are developing the camera for NASA/JPL's High Altitude Lensing Observatory (HALO) balloon telescope, and e2v will supply detectors. In return, they will obtain data on detector performance in near-space conditions, which should help them bid for future space contracts with the European Space Agency.
(3) Impact in the form of outreach.
Edinburgh has a long-standing and proud record of achievement in this area, thanks to decades of outstanding work by the Royal Observatory Visitor Centre, jointly funded by the University of Edinburgh and STFC. Within the UK university sector, this programme is unusual in its breadth and scope, extending well beyond the normal expectation of public talks, press releases and media interviews. This is in part because IfA staff, post-docs and students have the opportunity to work collaboratively with Visitor Centre Staff, and also in part due to the unique advantages afforded by the ROE site, with its unusual combination of front-line astronomical research, world-leading instrument/technology development, and astronomical history/heritage. Activities include the annual ROE open days, school visits to ROE, weekly public observing, 'Meet The Astronomer' sessions, school visits (with the portable Starlab planetarium), Andy Lawrence's popular e-Astronomer blog, teacher training (including the development of educational resources for both Primary and Secondary teachers), adult 'continuing-education' certificated evening courses, and the development and operation of the Dark Sky Scotland and (most recently) Dark Sky England programmes. ROE is now also the Scottish centre for the European Space Agency led European Space Eduction Resource Office (ESERO), supporting Space Education throughout Scotland.
Organisations
Publications
Forgan D
(2012)
Turbulent linewidths as a diagnostic of self-gravity in protostellar discs Turbulent linewidths and disc self-gravity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Böhm A
(2012)
AGN host galaxies at redshift z ˜ 0.7: peculiar or not?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Roseboom I
(2012)
FMOS near-IR spectroscopy of Herschel -selected galaxies: star formation rates, metallicity and dust attenuation at z ~ 1 Near-IR spectroscopy of Herschel galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Grazian A
(2012)
The size-luminosity relation at z = 7 in CANDELS and its implication on reionization
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sabater J
(2012)
The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies XI. Optical characterisation of nuclear activity???
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Finkelstein S
(2012)
CANDELS: THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE OBSERVED GALAXY POPULATION TO COSMIC REIONIZATION
in The Astrophysical Journal
Offringa A
(2012)
The LOFAR radio environment
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Gasperin F
(2012)
M 87 at metre wavelengths: the LOFAR picture
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cockcroft R
(2012)
Unearthing foundations of a cosmic cathedral: searching the stars for M33's halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coppin K
(2012)
Herschel -PACS observations of [O i ]63 µm towards submillimetre galaxies at z ~ 1 Herschel observations of [O i ]63 µ m in z ~ 1 SMGs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rhodes J
(2012)
Space-quality data from balloon-borne telescopes: The High Altitude Lensing Observatory (HALO)
in Astroparticle Physics
Mauduit J
(2012)
The Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS): Survey Definition and Goals ( PASP, 124, 714, [2012] )
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Van Kampen E
(2012)
Herschel -ATLAS/GAMA: spatial clustering of low-redshift submm galaxies Herschel -ATLAS/GAMA clustering at low z
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Foster C
(2012)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): the mass-metallicity relationship
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alpaslan M
(2012)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): estimating galaxy group masses via caustic analysis Galaxy group masses via caustic analysis
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Michalowski M
(2012)
AzTEC half square degree survey of the SHADES fields - II. Identifications, redshifts and evidence for large-scale structure AzTEC-SHADES: IDs, redshifts and large-scale structures
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bowler R
(2012)
Discovery of bright z ? 7 galaxies in the UltraVISTA survey Bright z ? 7 galaxies from UltraVISTA
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith D
(2012)
Herschel -ATLAS: multi-wavelength SEDs and physical properties of 250 µm selected galaxies at z < 0.5 Herschel sATLAS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Forgan D
(2012)
The Effect of Probe Dynamics on Galactic Exploration Timescales
Swinbank A
(2012)
THE PROPERTIES OF THE STAR-FORMING INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM AT z = 0.8-2.2 FROM HiZELS: STAR FORMATION AND CLUMP SCALING LAWS IN GAS-RICH, TURBULENT DISKS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bruce V
(2012)
The morphologies of massive galaxies at 1 < z < 3 in the CANDELS-UDS field: compact bulges, and the rise and fall of massive discs Morphologies of massive galaxies at 1 < z < 3
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ashby M
(2013)
SEDS: THE SPITZER EXTENDED DEEP SURVEY. SURVEY DESIGN, PHOTOMETRY, AND DEEP IRAC SOURCE COUNTS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Whalen D
(2013)
THE SUPERNOVA THAT DESTROYED A PROTOGALAXY: PROMPT CHEMICAL ENRICHMENT AND SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE GROWTH
in The Astrophysical Journal
Fardal M
(2013)
Inferring the Andromeda Galaxy's mass from its giant southern stream with Bayesian simulation sampling
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Van Haarlem M
(2013)
LOFAR: The LOw-Frequency ARray
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Galametz A
(2013)
CANDELS MULTIWAVELENGTH CATALOGS: SOURCE IDENTIFICATION AND PHOTOMETRY IN THE CANDELS UKIDSS ULTRA-DEEP SURVEY FIELD
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Atkinson A
(2013)
FAINT TIDAL FEATURES IN GALAXIES WITHIN THE CANADA-FRANCE-HAWAII TELESCOPE LEGACY SURVEY WIDE FIELDS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gendre M
(2013)
The relation between morphology, accretion modes and environmental factors in local radio AGN
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ilbert O
(2013)
Mass assembly in quiescent and star-forming galaxies since z ? 4 from UltraVISTA
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Erben T
(2013)
CFHTLenS: the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey - imaging data and catalogue products
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Willott C
(2013)
AN EXPONENTIAL DECLINE AT THE BRIGHT END OF THE z = 6 GALAXY LUMINOSITY FUNCTION
in The Astronomical Journal
Rice K
(2013)
How fast do Jupiters grow? Signatures of the snowline and growth rate in the distribution of gas giant planets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Crnojevic D
(2013)
The outer halo of the nearest giant elliptical: a VLT/VIMOS survey of the resolved stellar populations in Centaurus A to 85 kpc?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bradshaw E
(2013)
High-velocity outflows from young star-forming galaxies in the UKIDSS Ultra-Deep Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ibata RA
(2013)
A vast, thin plane of corotating dwarf galaxies orbiting the Andromeda galaxy.
in Nature
Ono Y
(2013)
EVOLUTION OF THE SIZES OF GALAXIES OVER 7 < z < 12 REVEALED BY THE 2012 HUBBLE ULTRA DEEP FIELD CAMPAIGN
in The Astrophysical Journal
McLure R
(2013)
A new multifield determination of the galaxy luminosity function at z = 7-9 incorporating the 2012 Hubble Ultra-Deep Field imaging
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Iacobelli M
(2013)
Studying Galactic interstellar turbulence through fluctuations in synchrotron emission First LOFAR Galactic foreground detection
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Amendola L
(2013)
Cosmology and Fundamental Physics with the Euclid Satellite.
in Living reviews in relativity
Rogers A
(2013)
The unbiased measurement of ultraviolet spectral slopes in low-luminosity galaxies at z ˜ 7
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hermsen W
(2013)
Synchronous x-ray and radio mode switches: a rapid global transformation of the pulsar magnetosphere.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Miller L
(2013)
Bayesian galaxy shape measurement for weak lensing surveys - III. Application to the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Lensing Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Forgan D
(2013)
The effect of irradiation on the Jeans mass in fragmenting self-gravitating protostellar discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Burgarella D
(2013)
Herschel PEP/HerMES: the redshift evolution (0 = z = 4) of dust attenuation and of the total (UV+IR) star formation rate density
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Hopkins A
(2013)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): spectroscopic analysis
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kitching T
(2013)
IMAGE ANALYSIS FOR COSMOLOGY: RESULTS FROM THE GREAT10 STAR CHALLENGE
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Forgan D
(2013)
Towards a population synthesis model of objects formed by self-gravitating disc fragmentation and tidal downsizing
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lehmer B
(2013)
CONCURRENT SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE AND GALAXY GROWTH: LINKING ENVIRONMENT AND NUCLEAR ACTIVITY IN z = 2.23 Ha EMITTERS
in The Astrophysical Journal
| Description | ROE Visitor Centre |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Multiple Edinburgh researchers regularly give talks that engage with the public, and particularly schools groups, under the auspices of the ROE Visitor Centre. These range from informal "meet the astronomer" sessions to more structured presentations on advances in astronomy. Evidence of Short-Term Impact is provided by basic numbers, and immediate feedback from questionnaires etc. For example, the annual ROE Open Days attract ~2500 visitors of all ages, while ~6000 school-age children either visit ROE, or receive school visits each year. In addition, more than 50 community Dark Sky events have now been held throughout Scotland, and more than 800 teachers and educators have been trained to run Dark Sky activities. The IfA makes a major contribution towards this direct people contact; for example, in 2010, ten IfA post-graduate students contributed a combined total of over 300 hours to outreach activity. It is also possible to identify clear evidence of Long-Term Impact. For example, over 100 school teachers have attended our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses, and have been provided with Deep Space Resources (developed as part of the CPD work at ROE) for use in the classroom. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014 |