Astrophysics Research at Liverpool John Moores University
Lead Research Organisation:
Liverpool John Moores University
Department Name: Astrophysics Research Institute
Abstract
We propose to continue our wide-ranging programme of research tackling cutting-edge astrophysical problems. We address two main topics: Explosive Transients (Theme A) and: Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei (Theme B). These Themes cover several of the scientific priorities in STFC's strategic plan under their theme Universal Challenges. In Theme A we will study the physics of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) - the most powerful explosions in the Universe - and use them as environmental probes. Combining cutting-edge theoretical predictions with novel observational experiments on the world's largest robotic telescopes, we will probe regions of extreme physics to determine the fundamental role of magnetic fields. We will use GRBs to probe the environment of massive stars locally and in the early Universe. We will search for the first electromagnetic counterparts to neutrino bursts predicted to be produced by GRBs, detection of which will revolutionise understanding of relativistic explosions. In a second part of Theme A we will investigate the fundamental properties of both Galactic and extragalactic Recurrent Novae, building on our considerable expertise in this area, focussing on the possibility that these objects are the progenitors of the important Type Ia Supernovae, which have become known as one of the primary probes of the scale and nature of the Universe. Theme B explores how the galaxies around us are formed, and how they then evolve over cosmic time. We will investigate what the properties are of the stellar populations which form in galaxies, when in the history of the galaxies the stars were formed, and how this depends upon the surroundings of the galaxies (e.g. whether they are in clusters or not, whether or not they contain the accreting Supermassive Black Holes which power Active Galactic Nuclei). We will use information from the most powerful ground based telescopes, and from optical, infrared and X-ray telescopes in space, combined with theoretical modeling, in an approach known as 'Galactic Archaeology' to uncover information on how the galaxies were assembled. All of our research uses the most advanced ground-based telescopes (such as our own Liverpool Telescope), satellites and data analysis techniques to carry out observations from gamma rays to radio wavelengths and ARI staff are lead many of the new generation surveys with these telescopes. The projects we propose in both themes are technically demanding and require computer software support to aid the delivery of the science. The structure and organisation of the ARI is designed to deliver internationally excellent research. The ARI is also a major international player in developing and exploiting outreach activities to engage the wider population in our science through the National Schools Observatory and the local astronomy visitor centre, Spaceport.
Publications
Melandri A.
(2008)
THE EARLY-TIME OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF GAMMA-RAY BURST AFTERGLOWS
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Carter David
(2008)
The
Hubble Space Telescope advanced camera for surveys coma cluster survey.: I.: Survey objectives and design
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES
Ouchi Masami
(2008)
The Subaru/
XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS).: IV.: Evolution of Lya emitters from
z=3.1 to 5.7 in the 1 deg
2 field:: Luminosity functions and AGN
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES
Wesson R
(2008)
A Planetary Nebula around Nova V458 Vulpeculae Undergoing Flash Ionization
in The Astrophysical Journal
Adelman-McCarthy Jennifer K.
(2008)
The Sixth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES
Rantsiou Emmanouela
(2008)
Mergers of black hole-neutron star binaries. I. Methods and first results
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Bedin Luigi R.
(2008)
Reaching the end of the white dwarf cooling sequence in NGC 6791
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Salaris M.
(2008)
The horizontal branch of ngc 1851: Constraints on the cluster subpopulations
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Kawamura S
(2008)
The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna - DECIGO
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Cassisi S.
(2008)
The double subgiant branch of NGC 1851: The role of the CNO abundance
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Gomboc A.
(2008)
MULTIWAVELENGTH ANALYSIS OF THE INTRIGUING GRB 061126: THE REVERSE SHOCK SCENARIO AND MAGNETIZATION
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Furusawa Hisanori
(2008)
The Subaru/
XMM-Newton deep survey (SXDS).: II.: Optical imaging and photometric catalogs
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES
Ueda Yoshihiro
(2008)
THE SUBARU/
XMM-NEWTON DEEP SURVEY (SXDS). III. X-RAY DATA
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES
Lisenfeld U.
(2008)
Molecular gas and dust in Arp 94: The formation of a recycled galaxy in an interacting system
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Bedin L. R.
(2008)
The puzzling white dwarf cooling sequence in NGC 6791: A simple solution
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Heng K
(2008)
A Direct Measurement of the Dust Extinction Curve in an Intermediate-Redshift Galaxy
in The Astrophysical Journal
Driver Simon P.
(2008)
The energy output of the universe from 0.1 to 1000 µm
in ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
Madrid J
(2010)
ULTRA-COMPACT DWARFS IN THE CORE OF THE COMA CLUSTER
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ellison S
(2010)
Galaxy pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - II. The effect of environment on interactions Galaxy pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Finoguenov A
(2010)
X-ray groups and clusters of galaxies in the Subaru-XMM Deep Field
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ryu Y
(2010)
OGLE-2009-BLG-092/MOA-2009-BLG-137: A DRAMATIC REPEATING EVENT WITH THE SECOND PERTURBATION PREDICTED BY REAL-TIME ANALYSIS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Sari R
(2010)
HYPERVELOCITY STARS AND THE RESTRICTED PARABOLIC THREE-BODY PROBLEM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Page K
(2010)
Swift observations of the X-ray and UV evolution of V2491 Cyg (Nova Cyg 2008 No. 2)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Capozzi D
(2010)
The ratio of luminous to faint red-sequence galaxies in X-ray and optically selected low-redshift clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dumas G
(2010)
COLD MOLECULAR GAS IN THE INNER TWO KILOPARSECS OF NGC 4151
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lloyd-Davies E
(2010)
The XMM Cluster Survey: X-ray analysis methodology
Hounsell R
(2010)
EXQUISITE NOVA LIGHT CURVES FROM THE SOLAR MASS EJECTION IMAGER (SMEI)
in The Astrophysical Journal
Maciejewski W
(2010)
ORBITAL SUPPORT OF FAST AND SLOW INNER BARS IN DOUBLE-BARRED GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gilbank D
(2010)
The Redshift One LDSS-3 Emission line Survey (ROLES): survey method and z~ 1 mass-dependent star formation rate density ROLES: method and SFRD
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yagi M
(2010)
A DOZEN NEW GALAXIES CAUGHT IN THE ACT: GAS STRIPPING AND EXTENDED EMISSION LINE REGIONS IN THE COMA CLUSTER
in The Astronomical Journal
Negrello M
(2010)
The detection of a population of submillimeter-bright, strongly lensed galaxies.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Bellini A
(2010)
The end of the white dwarf cooling sequence in M 67
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Young D
(2010)
Two type Ic supernovae in low-metallicity, dwarf galaxies: diversity of explosions
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Perets HB
(2010)
A faint type of supernova from a white dwarf with a helium-rich companion.
in Nature
Evans A
(2010)
The peculiar dust shell of Nova DZ Cru (2003)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Cecco A
(2010)
ON THE ? V bump HB PARAMETER IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS
in The Astrophysical Journal
García-Berro E
(2010)
A white dwarf cooling age of 8 Gyr for NGC 6791 from physical separation processes.
in Nature
Mundell C
(2010)
Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Era of Rapid Followup
in Advances in Astronomy
Hill D
(2010)
Galaxy and Mass Assembly: FUV, NUV, ugrizYJHK Petrosian, Kron and Sérsic photometry GAMA: the photometric pipeline
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pandey S
(2010)
GRB 090902B: AFTERGLOW OBSERVATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dye S
(2010)
Herschel -ATLAS: Evolution of the 250 µm luminosity function out to z = 0.5
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Cirasuolo M
(2010)
A new measurement of the evolving near-infrared galaxy luminosity function out to z â?? 4: a continuing challenge to theoretical models of galaxy formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hammer D
(2010)
THE HST /ACS COMA CLUSTER SURVEY. II. DATA DESCRIPTION AND SOURCE CATALOGS
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Salaris M
(2010)
A LARGE STELLAR EVOLUTION DATABASE FOR POPULATION SYNTHESIS STUDIES. VI. WHITE DWARF COOLING SEQUENCES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Smith R
(2010)
Ultraviolet tails and trails in cluster galaxies: a sample of candidate gaseous stripping events in Coma Gaseous stripping candidates in Coma
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Molinari S
(2010)
Clouds, filaments, and protostars: The Herschel Hi-GAL Milky Way
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Pietrinferni A
(2010)
The impact of an updated 14 N( p , ? ) 15 O reaction rate on advanced evolutionary stages of low-mass stellar models
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Amblard A
(2010)
Herschel -ATLAS: Dust temperature and redshift distribution of SPIRE and PACS detected sources using submillimetre colours
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Mottram J
(2010)
The RMS survey: far-infrared photometry of young massive stars
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Hwang K
(2010)
OGLE-2005-BLG-153: MICROLENSING DISCOVERY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A VERY LOW MASS BINARY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Description | Discoveries into the evolution of galaxies and stars, their origin and astrophysical processes. |
Exploitation Route | Continue to research into unsolved problems in astrophysics. |
Sectors | Education |
Description | Many outreach activities across all sectors, e.g. Schools, public, policy makers, flower shows |
First Year Of Impact | 2010 |
Sector | Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
Description | NSO Presentation in House of Commons |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Description | Consolidated Renewal |
Amount | £1,200,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ST/R000484/1 |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2018 |
End | 03/2021 |
Description | EU Framework Programme |
Amount | £71,038 (GBP) |
Organisation | European Commission |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 06/2012 |
End | 06/2015 |
Description | EU Framework Programme |
Amount | £29,175 (GBP) |
Organisation | European Commission |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 06/2011 |
End | 06/2013 |
Description | STFC Large Awards |
Amount | £15,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2011 |
End | 06/2013 |
Description | STFC SiS Fellowships |
Amount | £74,252 (GBP) |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2011 |
End | 10/2013 |
Description | University Widening Access |
Amount | £1,283,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Liverpool John Moores University |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2011 |
End | 09/2017 |
Description | ARI Engagement |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The ARI Outreach team delivers 50 events per year in addition to School based activities. These include, astronomy and science societies and associations, public open events, theatre, street theatre etc..art exhibitions, church societies, cubs, scouts, brownies etc.. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |
Description | Input to Parliamentary Inquiry |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Provision of evidence and acting as expert witness for House of Commons S&T Committee Inquiry into astronomy and particle physics. Recommendations in final report supporting the Liverpool Telescope and National Schools' Observatory. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | NSO-Garden Chelsea |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | In 2015 the NSO exhibited a garden called Dark Matter; at the Chelsea Flower Show winning a Gold medal and Best in Class" (Fresh Gardens). The aggregate audience was estimated at 211 million. The garden has an extensive legacy value at the STFC Daresbury Laboratory and is highlighted on the front cover of the 2015 STFC Impact Report. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.stfc.ac.uk/files/impact-report-2015/ |
Description | National Schools Observatory |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Enhanced interest and uptake of STEM subjects Each year the NSO delivers just over 40 different events or visits to or involving schools. This reaches a total of about 4,500 pupils per year in about 80 different schools. Increasing schools registration on NSO - more than 4000 currently |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |
URL | http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/ |
Description | National Schools' Observatory in Primary Schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Workshop Facilitator |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | 1000 Primary school teachers and their pupils engaged with astronomical research using the Liverpool Telescope and resources of the NSO website. Over all NSO activity (Primary, Secondary, FE) over the period: 30,000 observing requests were delivered and just under 3,000,000 educational webpages viewed. This is in addition to the engagement activity entered into eVal for the previous period. www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
URL | http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk |
Description | Press coverage relating to the Liverpool Telescope |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Paper Presentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | 12+ significant stories covered by the media through press releases related to the Liverpool Telescope. This is in addition to the outputs reported for the previous period through eVal. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
Description | School and Public Talks |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 50+ public talks and 200+ schools talks based around science from the Liverpool Telescope. This is in addition to data entered through eVal for the previous period. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
URL | http://www.astro.ljmu.ac.uk/outreach |
Description | TV and radio coverage |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Contributions to TV and radio broadcasts featuring LIverpool Telescope science. Total 20+ in this reporting period. This is in addition to the outputs reported for the previous period through eVal. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013 |
URL | http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk |