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
Kennedy G
(2012)
99 Herculis: host to a circumbinary polar-ring debris disc A circumbinary polar-ring debris disc
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kains N
(2012)
A Bayesian algorithm for model selection applied to caustic-crossing binary-lens microlensing events Bayesian model selection for microlensing
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bachelet E
(2012)
A brown dwarf orbiting an M-dwarf: MOA 2009-BLG-411L
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sumi T
(2010)
A COLD NEPTUNE-MASS PLANET OGLE-2007-BLG-368Lb: Cold neptunes are common
in The Astrophysical Journal
Scandariato G
(2013)
A coordinated optical and X-ray spectroscopic campaign on HD 179949: searching for planet-induced chromospheric and coronal activity
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lestrade J
(2012)
A DEBRIS disk around the planet hosting M-star GJ 581 spatially resolved with Herschel
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kains N
(2013)
A giant planet beyond the snow line in microlensing event OGLE-2011-BLG-0251
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kaviraj S
(2013)
A Herschel?-ATLAS study of dusty spheroids: probing the minor-merger process in the local Universe
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Horne K
(2009)
A metric and optimization scheme for microlens planet searches
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ignace R
(2010)
A MULTIPHASE SUZAKU STUDY OF X-RAYS FROM t Sco
in The Astrophysical Journal
Choi J
(2012)
A NEW TYPE OF AMBIGUITY IN THE PLANET AND BINARY INTERPRETATIONS OF CENTRAL PERTURBATIONS OF HIGH-MAGNIFICATION GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENTS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ertel S
(2012)
A peculiar class of debris disks from Herschel /DUNES A steep fall off in the far infrared
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mackenzie T
(2011)
A pilot study for the SCUBA-2 'All-Sky' Survey A pilot study for the SCUBA-2 All-Sky Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Miyake N
(2012)
A POSSIBLE BINARY SYSTEM OF A STELLAR REMNANT IN THE HIGH-MAGNIFICATION GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENT OGLE-2007-BLG-514
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
Grier C
(2012)
A REVERBERATION LAG FOR THE HIGH-IONIZATION COMPONENT OF THE BROAD-LINE REGION IN THE NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 Mrk 335
in The Astrophysical Journal
Fares R
(2013)
A small survey of the magnetic fields of planet-host stars?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Miyake N
(2011)
A SUB-SATURN MASS PLANET, MOA-2009-BLG-319Lb
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kains N
(2009)
A systematic fitting scheme for caustic-crossing microlensing events
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Galianni P
(2013)
A test of the failed disc wind scenario for the origin of the broad-line region in active galactic nuclei
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Doyle A
(2013)
Accurate spectroscopic parameters of WASP planet host stars?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pepe F
(2013)
An Earth-sized planet with an Earth-like density.
in Nature
Hellier C
(2009)
An orbital period of 0.94 days for the hot-Jupiter planet WASP-18b.
in Nature
De Propris R
(2010)
AN UPPER LIMIT TO THE DRY MERGER RATE AT ? z ? ~ 0.55
in The Astronomical Journal
Cassan A
(2010)
Bayesian analysis of caustic-crossing microlensing events
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Skowron J
(2011)
BINARY MICROLENSING EVENT OGLE-2009-BLG-020 GIVES VERIFIABLE MASS, DISTANCE, AND ORBIT PREDICTIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gregory S
(2012)
CAN WE PREDICT THE GLOBAL MAGNETIC TOPOLOGY OF A PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE STAR FROM ITS POSITION IN THE HERTZSPRUNG-RUSSELL DIAGRAM?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Covino S
(2010)
Challenging gamma-ray burst models through the broadband dataset of GRB 060908
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Choi J
(2012)
CHARACTERIZING LENSES AND LENSED STARS OF HIGH-MAGNIFICATION SINGLE-LENS GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENTS WITH LENSES PASSING OVER SOURCE STARS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shin I
(2012)
CHARACTERIZING LOW-MASS BINARIES FROM OBSERVATION OF LONG-TIMESCALE CAUSTIC-CROSSING GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENTS
in The Astrophysical Journal
De Vries BL
(2012)
Comet-like mineralogy of olivine crystals in an extrasolar proto-Kuiper belt.
in Nature
PĂ©rez L
(2012)
CONSTRAINTS ON THE RADIAL VARIATION OF GRAIN GROWTH IN THE AS 209 CIRCUMSTELLAR DISK
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kennedy G
(2012)
Coplanar circumbinary debris discs Coplanar circumbinary debris discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lang P
(2012)
Coronal structure of low-mass stars Coronal structure of low-mass stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cockell CS
(2009)
Darwin--a mission to detect and search for life on extrasolar planets.
in Astrobiology
Greaves J
(2010)
Debris discs and comet populations around Sun-like stars: the Solar system in context
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Greaves J
(2009)
Debris discs around nearby solar analogues
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Greaves J
(2012)
Debris discs at centimetre wavelengths: planetesimal populations in young extrasolar Kuiper belts Debris discs at centimetre wavelengths
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Bramich D
(2012)
Difference image analysis: extension to a spatially varying photometric scale factor and other considerations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Albrow M
(2009)
Difference imaging photometry of blended gravitational microlensing events with a numerical kernel
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gillon M
(2009)
Discovery and characterization of WASP-6b, an inflated sub-Jupiter mass planet transiting a solar-type star
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Muraki Y
(2011)
DISCOVERY AND MASS MEASUREMENTS OF A COLD, 10 EARTH MASS PLANET AND ITS HOST STAR
in The Astrophysical Journal
Greaves J
(2011)
Discovery of carbon monoxide in the upper atmosphere of Pluto Carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of Pluto
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Schwope A
(2011)
Dissecting the donor star in the eclipsing polar HU Aquarii
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Greaves J
(2011)
Do all Sun-like stars have planets? Inferences from the disc mass reservoirs of Class 0 protostars Do all Sun-like stars have planets?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Moeckel N
(2009)
Does subcluster merging accelerate mass segregation in local clusters?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Helling C
(2013)
Dust cloud lightning in extraterrestrial atmospheres
in Planetary and Space Science
Vidotto A
(2010)
EARLY UV INGRESS IN WASP-12b: MEASURING PLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Vidotto A
(2013)
Effects of M dwarf magnetic fields on potentially habitable planets
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Weidner C
(2010)
Escaping stars from young low-N clusters Escapees from low-N clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society