Lancaster University Observational Astrophysics 2021-2024

The work proposed here tackles some of the most important open questions in astrophysics, broadly centred on understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies and the properties of the Universe itself. It is closely linked with the STFC Science Roadmap challenges pertaining to the roles and nature of dark matter and dark energy, the formation of the first stars and galaxies in the Universe and the still unsolved key question of how galaxies evolve. In order to address such fundamental questions, we use complementary approaches. We will use new telescopes that are now coming on line to find and study Type Ia supernovae. These will be used as distance indicators across time to study the evolution of the universe itself and to better understand what is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. New telescope data will also be used to discover twinkling supermassive black holes hidden in the centres of thousands of galaxies. We will compare these black holes with data from their much more luminous siblings - quasars - which have grown rapidly in galaxies similar to our own. By studying the full population we will advance our understanding of how these black holes grow and influence the galaxies which host them. We will unveil the physical mechanisms behind the production and escape of high energy photons through galactic labyrinths, near and far, and unveil which sources caused the last major phase transition in the Universe. With artificial intelligence techniques, we will discover thousands of new clusters of galaxies, which will be used to understand how galaxies evolve in dense environments and the nature of dark matter itself. We will find new types of galaxies and use them to understand what controls the growth of galaxies in the distant Universe.

Our research involves making state-of-the-art observations using the world's most powerful and advanced telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope and facilities run by the European Southern Observatory including ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter Array) and the VLT (Very Large Telescope). We will also begin to use new facilities including the 4-m Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST), the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), and in space the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the European Space Agency's Euclid mission.

We will bring our state-of-the art research to a wide audience by creating inspiring new shows for our portable inflatable planetarium, the LUniverse. These new shows will explain our group's current research projects to a general audience and will be shown at outreach events and in schools around the North-West.

The beneficiaries of this research are primarily academics interested in the important areas of STFC Science Challenges as described in the STFC Science Roadmap, particularly understanding how galaxies like our own Milky Way formed and evolved, improving the precision of SN Ia measurements to better understand the roles of dark matter and dark energy, understanding the distribution of dark matter, understanding the role of supermassive black holes in galaxy evolution, and illuminating physical processes in the early universe. The impact of this research will be disseminated in the form of open-access publications in peer-reviewed journals, and talks at national and international conferences. The methods and techniques developed are also expected to generate significant wider interest in disciplines such as particle physics, medical imaging and earth observation, and there is potential for commercial impact for the computer vision and time-series analysis techniques described in the projects.

The research also has important economic and societal impacts. Research in astronomy addresses some of the most fundamental questions about our origins and the Universe around us. The excitement it generates inspires young people to enter science and research. All members of the Astrophysics group give regular public lectures and also engage the public in a variety of ways, including media interviews with wide reach and activities with more direct 2-way engagement such as citizen science projects and participatory events at music festivals where underserved audiences are located. During the grant period these activities will directly incorporate the research results of this project. Engagement with authentic cutting-edge research, including citizen science, is effective at inspiring the public and can lead to independent science learning.

The group is also involved in the Physics department's schools outreach program, working with the department's Schools outreach Officer. The Department of Physics offers day-long "Cosmology and Astrophysics Masterclasses" and residential work experience and courses throughout the year. The new Observational Astrophysics group at Lancaster is augmenting the provision of such Masterclasses and is also contributing significantly to the department's outreach work via its planetarium programme, LUniverse. The planetarium is expected to reach tens of thousands of members of the public via direct, immersive, participatory engagement during the grant period. Its audience includes members of the public of all ages, with a particular focus on schools engagement and engagement with underserved audiences. This grant will enable LUniverse to incorporate the proposed projects' research directly into planetarium shows, significantly increasing the direct public impact of the research in this proposal.