Astrophysics in St Andrews/SUPA
Lead Research Organisation:
University of St Andrews
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The St Andrews astronomy group is interested in questions of origins: where do galaxies, stars and planets come from, and what fundamental physics explains their formation? We are world leaders in solving intricate mathematical problems in these areas, and we use novel methods such as observations at very high precision and simulations with super-computers. Recently we have joined with other groups across Scotland via the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), and in particular broadened our studies of planet formation via theoretical and experimental work from new team members in Edinburgh and Strathclyde. We study a very wide spread of size scales, from discovering planetary systems around stars a few light years away out to measuring the force of gravity acting on the whole universe. We are especially known for comparing observations and theory of astronomical phenomena, so as to best understand the real universe. For example, we predict how protostars form in molecular clouds and grow and interact, and then observe real clouds to test that young stars have the predicted masses and positions. We have five major themes to our research programme. Theme A involves the search for planets beyond the Solar System and focuses on finding the first planets of mass as low as the Earth's. We use timing of transits, when a planet crosses the face of its star causing a brief darkening, and also gravitational lensing, which exploits Einstein's prediction that a planet drifting across the sightline to a distant background star will bend more of its light towards us. Theme B studies how these extrasolar planets form, in the brief time when a young star is orbited by a remnant disc of gases and rocks. We simulate how this material collects into planets, and check that the basic physics is correct using low-gravity plane flights to experimentally collide rocks in interstellar-like conditions of cold and vacuum. The results are tested by imaging real discs to track how planet systems form and then evolve over billions of years. Theme C examines how the young stars themselves form out of gas clouds, and we are working towards simulations with a billion interacting test particles, to study whether events like supernova explosions trigger the birth of new generations of stars. We also analyse if a star connects by magnetic fields to its disc, and if this affects how fast the star spins and what happens to the material that could form planets. Theme D expands this work to much bigger scales, and we will simulate a whole galaxy of stars, while a survey of 250,000 galaxies will study how their structure emerges. If we know how galaxies form into their characteristic shapes of flat discs, spiral arms and central bulges, we can then look at exotic phenomena such as mass flowing inwards to make a super-massive black hole. The intense light from these black holes has an echo effect as it travels to our telescopes that we also use to study the mass and expansion of the universe as a whole. Theme E wraps up this large-scale picture of the universe by testing Newton's law of gravity - some strange results on how galaxies move could be explained if the law is different on small and large scales. We explore this new idea mathematically and design astronomical observations to test it, ranging from the motion of spacecraft in the Solar System to fluctuations in radiation left over from the Big Bang. We address key questions in the Science Roadmap, especially: what are the laws of physics in extreme conditions? how do galaxies, stars and planets form and evolve? and are we alone in the universe? Our work uses many STFC-funded telescopes at a wide range of wavelengths from radio through visible to X-ray. Our new science projects are building up to use major international projects such as ALMA, eMERLIN, Herschel, JWST, SKA and the KEPLER and PLATO planet-detection missions.
Organisations
Publications
Zub M
(2010)
Limb-darkening measurements for a cool red giant in microlensing event OGLE 2004-BLG-482
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yee J
(2013)
MOA-2010-BLG-311: A PLANETARY CANDIDATE BELOW THE THRESHOLD OF RELIABLE DETECTION
in The Astrophysical Journal
Yee J
(2009)
EXTREME MAGNIFICATION MICROLENSING EVENT OGLE-2008-BLG-279: STRONG LIMITS ON PLANETARY COMPANIONS TO THE LENS STAR
in The Astrophysical Journal
Wyatt M
(2012)
Herschel imaging of 61 Vir: implications for the prevalence of debris in low-mass planetary systems Debris in low-mass planetary systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Windhorst R
(2011)
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3 EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE DATA: PANCHROMATIC FAINT OBJECT COUNTS FOR 0.2-2 µm WAVELENGTH
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Wijesinghe D
(2011)
Galaxy and mass assembly (GAMA): dust obscuration in galaxies and their recent star formation histories Obscuration in galaxies and SFHs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wijesinghe D
(2011)
GAMA/H-ATLAS: the ultraviolet spectral slope and obscuration in galaxies UV spectral slope and obscuration
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wijesinghe D
(2012)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): galaxy environments and star formation rate variations Galaxy environments
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
West R
(2009)
THE LOW DENSITY TRANSITING EXOPLANET WASP-15b
in The Astronomical Journal
Weidner C
(2011)
The formation of super-star clusters in disk and dwarf galaxies
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Weidner C
(2010)
The relation between the most-massive star and its parental star cluster mass
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Weidner C
(2010)
Limits on the orbits and masses of moons around currently-known transiting exoplanets
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Weidner C
(2010)
SUPER STAR CLUSTERS VERSUS OB ASSOCIATIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Weidner C
(2010)
Escaping stars from young low-N clusters Escapees from low-N clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ward-Thompson D
(2011)
The immediate environment of the Class 0 protostar VLA 1623, on scales of ~50-100 au, observed at millimetre and centimetre wavelengths VLA 1623 on scales of ~50-100 au
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Walker-Smith S
(2013)
The structure and kinematics of dense gas in NGC 2068
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vika M
(2009)
The Millennium Galaxy Catalogue: the M bh â?? L spheroid derived supermassive black hole mass function
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vika M
(2012)
The near-IR Mbh-L and Mbh-n relations Mbh-L and Mbh-n relations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vidotto A
(2012)
The stellar wind cycles and planetary radio emission of the t Boo system Stellar wind of t Boo and planetary emission
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vidotto A
(2011)
Prospects for detection of exoplanet magnetic fields through bow-shock observations during transits Exoplanet magnetic fields and bow shocks
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Vidotto A
(2011)
Powerful winds from low-mass stars: V374 Peg Powerful winds from low-mass stars: V374 Peg
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vidotto A
(2013)
Effects of M dwarf magnetic fields on potentially habitable planets
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vidotto A
(2010)
EARLY UV INGRESS IN WASP-12b: MEASURING PLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Vidotto A
(2011)
Shock formation around planets orbiting M-dwarf stars
in Astronomische Nachrichten
Vidotto A
(2011)
Transit variability in bow shock-hosting planets Transit variability in shock-hosting planets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vandenbussche B
(2010)
The ß Pictoris disk imaged by Herschel PACS and SPIRE
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
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
Tsapras Y
(2009)
RoboNet-II: Follow-up observations of microlensing events with a robotic network of telescopes
in Astronomische Nachrichten
Taylor E
(2011)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): stellar mass estimates GAMA: stellar mass estimates
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sumi T
(2010)
A COLD NEPTUNE-MASS PLANET OGLE-2007-BLG-368Lb: Cold neptunes are common
in The Astrophysical Journal
Street R
(2013)
MOA-2010-BLG-073L: AN M-DWARF WITH A SUBSTELLAR COMPANION AT THE PLANET/BROWN DWARF BOUNDARY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Smith R
(2009)
Fragmentation in molecular clouds and its connection to the IMF
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith R
(2013)
LINE PROFILES OF CORES WITHIN CLUSTERS. II. SIGNATURES OF DYNAMICAL COLLAPSE DURING HIGH-MASS STAR FORMATION
in The Astrophysical Journal
Smith R
(2011)
A quantification of the non-spherical geometry and accretion of collapsing cores The non-spherical nature of collapsing cores
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith R
(2009)
The simultaneous formation of massive stars and stellar clusters The formation of massive stars and clusters
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
Smith D
(2011)
Herschel-ATLAS: counterparts from the ultraviolet-near-infrared in the science demonstration phase catalogue? Herschel-ATLAS: counterparts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith A
(2009)
Secondary radio eclipse of the transiting planet HD 189733 b: an upper limit at 307-347 MHz
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smilgys R
(2016)
Star formation in Galactic flows
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smalley B
(2011)
SuperWASP observations of pulsating Am stars
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Skowron J
(2011)
BINARY MICROLENSING EVENT OGLE-2009-BLG-020 GIVES VERIFIABLE MASS, DISTANCE, AND ORBIT PREDICTIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Skillen I
(2009)
The 0.5 M J transiting exoplanet WASP-13b
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sinclair J
(2010)
The impact of stellar model spectra in disc detection Model spectra in disc detection
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Simpson E
(2011)
INDEPENDENT DISCOVERY OF THE TRANSITING EXOPLANET HAT-P-14b
in The Astronomical Journal
Simpson E
(2011)
The spin-orbit angles of the transiting exoplanets WASP-1b, WASP-24b, WASP-38b and HAT-P-8b from Rossiter-McLaughlin observations? The spin-orbit alignment of 4 exoplanets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Simpson E
(2011)
WASP-37b: A 1.8 M J EXOPLANET TRANSITING A METAL-POOR STAR
in The Astronomical Journal
Sibthorpe B
(2012)
Extragalactic number counts at 100 m, free from cosmic variance
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Sibthorpe B
(2010)
The Vega debris disc: A view from Herschel
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Shin I
(2011)
OGLE-2005-BLG-018: CHARACTERIZATION OF FULL PHYSICAL AND ORBITAL PARAMETERS OF A GRAVITATIONAL BINARY LENS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shin I
(2012)
MICROLENSING BINARIES WITH CANDIDATE BROWN DWARF COMPANIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal