Astronomy Observation and Theory Consolidated Grant 2016-2019
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
This proposal is for a single Consolidated Grant to support the majority of research in Theoretical and Observational Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Institute of Astronomy (IoA) in Cambridge.
The theoretical research profile includes work to understand the origin of the Universe itself. Members of the IoA play a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the parameters that both define the geometry of the Universe and quantify the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic content. The research links to one of the key goals in astrophysics: constraining the properties of the dark matter and dark energy content of the Universe.
The Universe today is filled with galaxies, of which our own Milky Way is a not atypical example. A full understanding of galaxy formation and evolution requires multiple lines of attack. Observations of the resolved stellar populations in the Milky Way and its Local Group companions provide a detailed fossil record of the dynamical assemblies of the galaxies, the formation of stars, and the buildup of heavy elements over a wide range of mass scales and initial conditions. At the other end of the scale, observations of distant galaxies spanning lookback times of up to 12 Gyr provide direct measurements of the evolution of galaxy populations and the buildup of stars and metals with cosmic time. Finally, measurements of the large-scale star formation and abundance properties of nearby galaxies form a vital astrophysical bridge between the studies of nearby resolved stellar populations and the distant high-redshift investigations, by allowing us to characterise the evolutionary properties of the Hubble sequence and the complex "gastrophysical" processes that regulate the accretion of gas and the formation of stars in galaxies.
It is now recognised that there is an intimate link between the evolution of galaxies and the origin and properties of super-massive black holes, which reside at the centre of the Milky Way and other galaxies. The regions close to black holes allow the exploration of physics at the extremes. The formation and properties of super-massive black holes and their relation to the galaxies in which they reside is a research theme that involves theory, X-ray astrophysics and observational programmes in the grant.
Within galaxies, the grant focuses on star formation, from the giant molecular clouds which give birth to stars, down to the more detailed investigations of the processes that lead to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. The investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theories. The quest to study planetary systems around stars and their formation is another key goal. Research activity in the grant covers theoretical work that concentrates on the properties of exoplanets atmospheres, debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars.
The theoretical research profile includes work to understand the origin of the Universe itself. Members of the IoA play a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the parameters that both define the geometry of the Universe and quantify the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic content. The research links to one of the key goals in astrophysics: constraining the properties of the dark matter and dark energy content of the Universe.
The Universe today is filled with galaxies, of which our own Milky Way is a not atypical example. A full understanding of galaxy formation and evolution requires multiple lines of attack. Observations of the resolved stellar populations in the Milky Way and its Local Group companions provide a detailed fossil record of the dynamical assemblies of the galaxies, the formation of stars, and the buildup of heavy elements over a wide range of mass scales and initial conditions. At the other end of the scale, observations of distant galaxies spanning lookback times of up to 12 Gyr provide direct measurements of the evolution of galaxy populations and the buildup of stars and metals with cosmic time. Finally, measurements of the large-scale star formation and abundance properties of nearby galaxies form a vital astrophysical bridge between the studies of nearby resolved stellar populations and the distant high-redshift investigations, by allowing us to characterise the evolutionary properties of the Hubble sequence and the complex "gastrophysical" processes that regulate the accretion of gas and the formation of stars in galaxies.
It is now recognised that there is an intimate link between the evolution of galaxies and the origin and properties of super-massive black holes, which reside at the centre of the Milky Way and other galaxies. The regions close to black holes allow the exploration of physics at the extremes. The formation and properties of super-massive black holes and their relation to the galaxies in which they reside is a research theme that involves theory, X-ray astrophysics and observational programmes in the grant.
Within galaxies, the grant focuses on star formation, from the giant molecular clouds which give birth to stars, down to the more detailed investigations of the processes that lead to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. The investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theories. The quest to study planetary systems around stars and their formation is another key goal. Research activity in the grant covers theoretical work that concentrates on the properties of exoplanets atmospheres, debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars.
Planned Impact
The Institute of Astronomy ensures all students, postdocs and staff are actively involved both in delivering high value science, and also engaging and stimulating a variety of additional knowledge creation activities, focussing on public awareness, and on applications of research developments in medical, space-industry and commercial spheres.
The University of Cambridge has one of the most successful programmes for nurturing knowledge transfer and resulting economic and societal impact between University departments and industry both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The extraordinarily successful Cambridge Science Park is well known, with expertise and ideas from Cambridge Astrophysics being involved in the establishment of several businesses in the Cambridge area.
The IoA's approach to the search for impact opportunities is embedded in the mechanisms that the University has in place to facilitate this. The University's Research Office provides the primary point of contact for corporate liaison, and is actively involved in pursuing impact and knowledge exchange activities and opportunities throughout the University. Cambridge Enterprise, the University's technology transfer and entrepreneurship arm, exists to enhance the University of Cambridge's contribution to society through knowledge transfer from the University to the community. The Institute of Astronomy members interact with these organisations regularly. Engagement with the wider economic community is supported
by a Collaborative Research Facilitator, based in the Cavendish Laboratory, who is able to provide advice on relevant networking and funding opportunities.
In summary, the research carried out at the IoA supported through this will lead to a wide range of impacts across a broad range of areas. From direct and specific impact in the application of analysis techniques to problems in the medical field, in the gaming industry, to inspirational outreach programmes engaging with those teaching the next generation of scientists.
The University of Cambridge has one of the most successful programmes for nurturing knowledge transfer and resulting economic and societal impact between University departments and industry both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The extraordinarily successful Cambridge Science Park is well known, with expertise and ideas from Cambridge Astrophysics being involved in the establishment of several businesses in the Cambridge area.
The IoA's approach to the search for impact opportunities is embedded in the mechanisms that the University has in place to facilitate this. The University's Research Office provides the primary point of contact for corporate liaison, and is actively involved in pursuing impact and knowledge exchange activities and opportunities throughout the University. Cambridge Enterprise, the University's technology transfer and entrepreneurship arm, exists to enhance the University of Cambridge's contribution to society through knowledge transfer from the University to the community. The Institute of Astronomy members interact with these organisations regularly. Engagement with the wider economic community is supported
by a Collaborative Research Facilitator, based in the Cavendish Laboratory, who is able to provide advice on relevant networking and funding opportunities.
In summary, the research carried out at the IoA supported through this will lead to a wide range of impacts across a broad range of areas. From direct and specific impact in the application of analysis techniques to problems in the medical field, in the gaming industry, to inspirational outreach programmes engaging with those teaching the next generation of scientists.
Organisations
Publications
Qu F
(2024)
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the DR6 CMB Lensing Power Spectrum and Its Implications for Structure Growth
in The Astrophysical Journal
Madhavacheril M
(2024)
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: DR6 Gravitational Lensing Map and Cosmological Parameters
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gao Z
(2024)
Flat-sky angular power spectra revisited
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Yuan Y
(2024)
Lya emission as a sensitive probe of feedback-regulated LyC escape from dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Greig B
(2024)
IGM damping wing constraints on the tail end of reionization from the enlarged XQR-30 sample
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wolfson M
(2024)
Measurements of the z > 5 Lyman-a forest flux autocorrelation functions from the extended XQR-30 data set
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Asthana S
(2024)
Late-end reionization with aton-he : towards constraints from Ly a emitters observed with JWST
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gao Z
(2024)
Flat-sky angular power spectra revisited
Coulton W
(2024)
Atacama Cosmology Telescope: High-resolution component-separated maps across one third of the sky
in Physical Review D
Iršic V
(2024)
Unveiling dark matter free streaming at the smallest scales with the high redshift Lyman-alpha forest
in Physical Review D
Raste J
(2024)
The 21-cm bispectrum from neutral hydrogen islands at z < 6
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Feron J
(2024)
The Lyman-limit photon mean free path at the end of late reionization in the Sherwood-Relics simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Khan N
(2024)
Particle initialization effects on Lyman-a forest statistics in cosmological SPH simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kalaja A
(2023)
The reconstructed CMB lensing bispectrum
Šoltinský T
(2023)
Probing quasar lifetimes with proximate 21-centimetre absorption in the diffuse intergalactic medium at redshifts z = 6
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Molaro M
(2023)
Possible evidence for a large-scale enhancement in the Lyman-a forest power spectrum at redshift z = 4
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coulton W
(2023)
Biases to primordial non-Gaussianity measurements from CMB secondary anisotropies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Qu F
(2023)
CMB lensing with shear-only reconstruction on the full sky
in Physical Review D
Martin-Alvarez S
(2023)
The Pandora project - I. The impact of radiation, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays on the baryonic and dark matter properties of dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Arroyo-Polonio J
(2023)
Binary star population of the Sculptor dwarf galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kalaja A
(2023)
The reconstructed CMB lensing bispectrum
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Choustikov N
(2023)
Optimizing the evolution of perturbations in the ? CDM universe
in Physical Review D
Raste J
(2023)
The 21-cm bispectrum from neutral hydrogen islands at z < 6
Gao Z
(2023)
Flat-sky Angular Power Spectra Revisited
Choustikov N
(2023)
Optimizing the Evolution of Perturbations in the $?$CDM Universe
Randich S
(2022)
The Gaia -ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey: Implementation, data products, open cluster survey, science, and legacy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Desira C
(2022)
Discovery of two bright high-redshift gravitationally lensed quasars revealed by Gaia
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Baleato Lizancos A
(2022)
Delensing the CMB with the cosmic infrared background: the impact of foregrounds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Molaro M
(2022)
The effect of inhomogeneous reionization on the Lyman a forest power spectrum at redshift z > 4: implications for thermal parameter recovery
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kalaja A
(2022)
The reconstructed CMB lensing bispectrum
| Title | VLT/X-SHOOTER & Keck/ESI spectra of z~5 QSOs |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Astronomical Journal (AAS) with title 'Chasing the tail of cosmic reionization with dark gap statistics in the Ly{alpha} forest over 5 |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/ApJ/923/223 |