IoA Theoretical and X-ray Astronomy consolidation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
This proposal is for an interim grant to support research in Theoretical Astrophysics and X-ray Astronomy at the Institute of Astronomy (IoA), as part of a transition to a fully consolidated IoA Astronomy grant proposal in 2012.
The Theory theme addresses a wide range of astrophysical phenomena ranging from the origin of the Universe itself to the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets. One of the main areas of investigation is cosmology. Members of the IoA are playing a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the cosmological parameters including the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic contents of the Universe. Another project will carry out theoretical simulations and analysis of the subsequent evolution of cosmic structure during the epoch of reionisation, when the first stars and galaxies were formed.
Star formation is another major focus of the grant, on scales ranging from galaxies, where the molecular clouds giving birth to stars are formed, to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. These investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theory and a rich new set of multi-wavelength observations of nearby galaxies being obtained with the Herschel and Spitzer space observatories under IoA leadership.
The understanding of planetary systems around stars and their formation is another goal of the Theory theme. One project will focus on modelling the properties of debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars, using a complete IoA-led survey of nearby stars with the Herschel observatory (DEBRIS project). Another project is directed at modelling the evolution of the planetary orbits themselves in different stellar environments and stellar evolutionary stages.
The final component of the Theoretical Astronomy theme is the modelling of binary star systems, and improving our understanding of how double star systems evolve when the component stars are immersed in a common envelope. This phase of evolution is important for understanding a wide range of observed stellar systems including cataclysmic variables, X-ray binaries, and the progenitors of supernovae, including the Type Ia supernovae which are used as cosmological standard candles.
The second theme of the proposal is X-ray Astronomy. The research will exploit a large body of observations of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and Galactic X-ray binary systems being obtained by the X-ray group on the Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku and ASTRO-H X-ray observatories to carry out three projects.
One project will carry out measurements of the spin of black holes, both the supermassive black holes which power the enormous energy emissions from quasars and other active galactic nuclei, and the stellar-mass black holes in binary star systems. This work, based on spectroscopy of relativistically-broadened iron lines, will also provide insights into the accretion phenomena that power the systems.
Another project will combine deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of the cores of galaxy clusters to study the physical conditions, turbulence, and acoustic waves and shocks in the intracluster medium, and constrain the physical nature of the feedback of radiative and mechanical energy from the galaxies in the cores of the cluster and the surrounding intergalactic gas in the clusters.
A related project will combine these X-ray data with multi-wavelength measurements of the intergalactic filaments and other gas components in the clusters, to understand the feedback processes linking cooling of intergalactic gas into the central galaxies and the subsequent heating of the surroundings by the central galaxies and their embedded black holes.
The Theory theme addresses a wide range of astrophysical phenomena ranging from the origin of the Universe itself to the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets. One of the main areas of investigation is cosmology. Members of the IoA are playing a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the cosmological parameters including the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic contents of the Universe. Another project will carry out theoretical simulations and analysis of the subsequent evolution of cosmic structure during the epoch of reionisation, when the first stars and galaxies were formed.
Star formation is another major focus of the grant, on scales ranging from galaxies, where the molecular clouds giving birth to stars are formed, to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. These investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theory and a rich new set of multi-wavelength observations of nearby galaxies being obtained with the Herschel and Spitzer space observatories under IoA leadership.
The understanding of planetary systems around stars and their formation is another goal of the Theory theme. One project will focus on modelling the properties of debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars, using a complete IoA-led survey of nearby stars with the Herschel observatory (DEBRIS project). Another project is directed at modelling the evolution of the planetary orbits themselves in different stellar environments and stellar evolutionary stages.
The final component of the Theoretical Astronomy theme is the modelling of binary star systems, and improving our understanding of how double star systems evolve when the component stars are immersed in a common envelope. This phase of evolution is important for understanding a wide range of observed stellar systems including cataclysmic variables, X-ray binaries, and the progenitors of supernovae, including the Type Ia supernovae which are used as cosmological standard candles.
The second theme of the proposal is X-ray Astronomy. The research will exploit a large body of observations of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and Galactic X-ray binary systems being obtained by the X-ray group on the Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku and ASTRO-H X-ray observatories to carry out three projects.
One project will carry out measurements of the spin of black holes, both the supermassive black holes which power the enormous energy emissions from quasars and other active galactic nuclei, and the stellar-mass black holes in binary star systems. This work, based on spectroscopy of relativistically-broadened iron lines, will also provide insights into the accretion phenomena that power the systems.
Another project will combine deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of the cores of galaxy clusters to study the physical conditions, turbulence, and acoustic waves and shocks in the intracluster medium, and constrain the physical nature of the feedback of radiative and mechanical energy from the galaxies in the cores of the cluster and the surrounding intergalactic gas in the clusters.
A related project will combine these X-ray data with multi-wavelength measurements of the intergalactic filaments and other gas components in the clusters, to understand the feedback processes linking cooling of intergalactic gas into the central galaxies and the subsequent heating of the surroundings by the central galaxies and their embedded black holes.
Planned Impact
The main societal impacts of this research are in the areas of public engagement and inspiration of future young scientists. Many of the proposed projects are coupled to high-profile missions and investigations,
which will impact the public through press and image releases, public lectures, interviews with the print, radio, and television media, popular articles and books, and formally organised outreach activities.
Projects which are sure to produce high-impact science in the public area include the announcement of first full results on cosmological parameters from the ESA Planck mission in early 2013, work on deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of clusters with the XMM-Newton and Chandra missions, and the interpretations of data from the Herschel Space Observatory on star formation in galaxies and debris discs. The Co-Applicants and their collaborators have established a heritage of high-visibility results in these and related areas, and will coordinate closely with media and outreach offices of the STFC, ESA, and relevant mission offices.
The Institute of Astronomy fully embraces the outreach agenda of the STFC, and the research activities in the Theoretical Astronomy and X-ray Astronomy themes form core components feeding these activities. Impacts will arise from a combination of IoA-organised efforts and individual activities by the Co-Applicants and PDRAs.
The wide range of outreach activity is made possible by the critical mass of astronomy activity at IoA and through contributions from our major research grants and from Departmental resources. These include weekly public evening lectures and (weather permitting) observing sessions in the winter which attract more than 1500 people per year, an annual open day which attracts comparable numbers in a single afternoon and evening, one-day schools workshops, on-line newsletters, podcasts, and an informal website, and an Artist-in-Residence programme.
Virtually every Co-Applicant and PDRA also undertakes public engagement and outreach activities individually, and many (e.g., Crawford, Efstathiou, Fabian, Kennicutt, Rees) have engaged in scores of activities over the past five years, via named and national public lectures, speaking at national amateur astronomy meetings and festivals, radio and television interviews and programmes, and by writing popular articles and books. Worth of special mention is the recent work by Fabian with the STFC in developing a booklet "A New View of the Universe: Big Science for a Big Society" which presents the scientific and Council objectives for astronomy in the coming decade, and documents the many broader economic and societal impacts of astronomy, ranging from technology transfer (e.g., WIFI, GPS, detectors, adaptive optics) to major societal priorities (e.g., climate change, energy sustainability). Co-Applicant C. Crawford, in addition to leading the IoA outreach programme, is an active spokesperson for astronomy in her own right, and in 2009 was received a UKRC Woman of Outstanding Achievement award in recognition of her work in fostering engagement between scientists and the public. Last but hardly least Co-Applicant and Astronomer Royal M. Rees continues to serve as one of the UK's leaders in the scientific community, and has engaged with the public on countless occasions through books and popular articles, public lectures, and most recently through is service as President of the Royal Society.
The effectiveness of this collection of activities owes much of its success to the work of the IoA Outreach Officer, Co-Applicant Carolin Crawford. This work is supported by an 0.5 FTE appointment, and this proposal requests funding for 40% of this work (0.2 FTE), which we estimate represents the fraction of activities relating to the work of the Applicants and PDRAs on this grant.
which will impact the public through press and image releases, public lectures, interviews with the print, radio, and television media, popular articles and books, and formally organised outreach activities.
Projects which are sure to produce high-impact science in the public area include the announcement of first full results on cosmological parameters from the ESA Planck mission in early 2013, work on deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of clusters with the XMM-Newton and Chandra missions, and the interpretations of data from the Herschel Space Observatory on star formation in galaxies and debris discs. The Co-Applicants and their collaborators have established a heritage of high-visibility results in these and related areas, and will coordinate closely with media and outreach offices of the STFC, ESA, and relevant mission offices.
The Institute of Astronomy fully embraces the outreach agenda of the STFC, and the research activities in the Theoretical Astronomy and X-ray Astronomy themes form core components feeding these activities. Impacts will arise from a combination of IoA-organised efforts and individual activities by the Co-Applicants and PDRAs.
The wide range of outreach activity is made possible by the critical mass of astronomy activity at IoA and through contributions from our major research grants and from Departmental resources. These include weekly public evening lectures and (weather permitting) observing sessions in the winter which attract more than 1500 people per year, an annual open day which attracts comparable numbers in a single afternoon and evening, one-day schools workshops, on-line newsletters, podcasts, and an informal website, and an Artist-in-Residence programme.
Virtually every Co-Applicant and PDRA also undertakes public engagement and outreach activities individually, and many (e.g., Crawford, Efstathiou, Fabian, Kennicutt, Rees) have engaged in scores of activities over the past five years, via named and national public lectures, speaking at national amateur astronomy meetings and festivals, radio and television interviews and programmes, and by writing popular articles and books. Worth of special mention is the recent work by Fabian with the STFC in developing a booklet "A New View of the Universe: Big Science for a Big Society" which presents the scientific and Council objectives for astronomy in the coming decade, and documents the many broader economic and societal impacts of astronomy, ranging from technology transfer (e.g., WIFI, GPS, detectors, adaptive optics) to major societal priorities (e.g., climate change, energy sustainability). Co-Applicant C. Crawford, in addition to leading the IoA outreach programme, is an active spokesperson for astronomy in her own right, and in 2009 was received a UKRC Woman of Outstanding Achievement award in recognition of her work in fostering engagement between scientists and the public. Last but hardly least Co-Applicant and Astronomer Royal M. Rees continues to serve as one of the UK's leaders in the scientific community, and has engaged with the public on countless occasions through books and popular articles, public lectures, and most recently through is service as President of the Royal Society.
The effectiveness of this collection of activities owes much of its success to the work of the IoA Outreach Officer, Co-Applicant Carolin Crawford. This work is supported by an 0.5 FTE appointment, and this proposal requests funding for 40% of this work (0.2 FTE), which we estimate represents the fraction of activities relating to the work of the Applicants and PDRAs on this grant.
Organisations
Publications
Church R
(2013)
N -body Simulations with Live Stellar Evolution
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Ciesla L
(2012)
Submillimetre photometry of 323 nearby galaxies from the Herschel Reference Survey
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ciesla L
(2013)
Submillimetre photometry of 323 nearby galaxies from the Herschel Reference Survey (Corrigendum)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Clarke C
(2013)
Evolutionary constraints on the planetary hypothesis for transition discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Clément B
(2012)
Evolution of the observed Ly a luminosity function from z = 6.5 to z = 7.7: evidence for the epoch of reionization?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cockcroft R
(2012)
Unearthing foundations of a cosmic cathedral: searching the stars for M33's halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Collett T
(2012)
Constraining the dark energy equation of state with double-source plane strong lenses Constraining wDE with compound lenses
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Collett T
(2013)
Reconstructing the lensing mass in the Universe from photometric catalogue data
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Conn A
(2012)
A BAYESIAN APPROACH TO LOCATING THE RED GIANT BRANCH TIP MAGNITUDE. II. DISTANCES TO THE SATELLITES OF M31
in The Astrophysical Journal
Conn B
(2012)
SLICING THE MONOCEROS OVERDENSITY WITH SUPRIME-CAM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Cooke R
(2012)
A new candidate for probing Population III nucleosynthesis with carbon-enhanced damped Lya systems A new candidate CEMP DLA
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cormier D
(2012)
The nature of the interstellar medium of the starburst low-metallicity galaxy Haro 11: a multi-phase model of the infrared emission
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cortese L
(2012)
The dust scaling relations of the Herschel Reference Survey
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Coskunoglu B
(2012)
Local stellar kinematics from RAVE data - II. Radial metallicity gradient Radial metallicity gradient from RAVE DR3
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Costantini E
(2012)
XMM-Newton observation of 4U 1820-30 Broad band spectrum and the contribution of the cold interstellar medium
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Crocker A
(2013)
QUANTIFYING NON-STAR-FORMATION-ASSOCIATED 8 µm DUST EMISSION IN NGC 628
in The Astrophysical Journal
Croxall K
(2012)
RESOLVING THE FAR-IR LINE DEFICIT: PHOTOELECTRIC HEATING AND FAR-IR LINE COOLING IN NGC 1097 AND NGC 4559
in The Astrophysical Journal
Croxall K
(2013)
TOWARD A REMOVAL OF TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCIES FROM ABUNDANCE DETERMINATIONS: NGC 628
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dale D
(2012)
HERSCHEL FAR-INFRARED AND SUBMILLIMETER PHOTOMETRY FOR THE KINGFISH SAMPLE OF NEARBY GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dawson K
(2013)
THE BARYON OSCILLATION SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY OF SDSS-III
in The Astronomical Journal
De Boer T
(2012)
The star formation and chemical evolution history of the sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Laverny P
(2012)
The AMBRE project: A new synthetic grid of high-resolution FGKM stellar spectra
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Marco B
(2013)
Discovery of a relation between black hole mass and soft X-ray time lags in active galactic nuclei
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Deason A
(2012)
Broken degeneracies: the rotation curve and velocity anisotropy of the Milky Way halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Deason A
(2012)
The cold veil of the Milky Way stellar halo The cold veil of the Milky Way stellar halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Deason A
(2012)
ELLIPTICAL GALAXY MASSES OUT TO FIVE EFFECTIVE RADII: THE REALM OF DARK MATTER
in The Astrophysical Journal
Deason A
(2012)
The stretching of Hercules
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Deason A
(2013)
THE DARK MATTER HALO CONCENTRATION AND STELLAR INITIAL MASS FUNCTION OF A CASSOWARY GROUP
in The Astrophysical Journal
Deason A
(2013)
BROKEN AND UNBROKEN: THE MILKY WAY AND M31 STELLAR HALOS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Degenaar N
(2013)
X-RAY EMISSION AND ABSORPTION FEATURES DURING AN ENERGETIC THERMONUCLEAR X-RAY BURST FROM IGR J17062-6143
in The Astrophysical Journal
Donaldson Hanna K
(2012)
Laboratory emissivity measurements of the plagioclase solid solution series under varying environmental conditions
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Donovan Meyer J
(2012)
RESOLVED MEASUREMENTS OF X CO IN NGC 6946
in The Astrophysical Journal
Drake A
(2013)
PROBING THE OUTER GALACTIC HALO WITH RR LYRAE FROM THE CATALINA SURVEYS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dubois Y
(2012)
Feeding compact bulges and supermassive black holes with low angular momentum cosmic gas at high redshift Feeding supermassive BHs with cosmic gas
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dubois Y
(2013)
Blowing cold flows away: the impact of early AGN activity on the formation of a brightest cluster galaxy progenitor
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dutton A
(2013)
The SWELLS survey - V. A Salpeter stellar initial mass function in the bulges of massive spiral galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Eales S
(2012)
CAN DUST EMISSION BE USED TO ESTIMATE THE MASS OF THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM IN GALAXIES-A PILOT PROJECT WITH THE HERSCHEL REFERENCE SURVEY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Efstathiou G
(2012)
A simple empirically motivated template for the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect Sunyaev-Zel'dovich template
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ertel S
(2012)
A peculiar class of debris disks from Herschel /DUNES A steep fall off in the far infrared
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Evans P
(2012)
SWIFT FOLLOW-UP OBSERVATIONS OF CANDIDATE GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE TRANSIENT EVENTS
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Fabian A
(2013)
Long XMM observation of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS 13224-3809: rapid variability, high spin and a soft lag
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fabian A
(2013)
X-ray emission from the ultramassive black hole candidate NGC 1277: implications and speculations on its origin
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Fabian A
(2012)
Observational Evidence of Active Galactic Nuclei Feedback
in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Fabian A
(2012)
On the determination of the spin of the black hole in Cyg X-1 from X-ray reflection spectra Reflection and spin in Cyg X-1
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fabian A
(2012)
1H 0707-495 in 2011: an X-ray source within a gravitational radius of the event horizon 1H 0707-495 in 2011
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fabian A
(2014)
On the determination of the spin and disc truncation of accreting black holes using X-ray reflection
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Farihi J
(2012)
Scars of intense accretion episodes at metal-rich white dwarfs Intense metal accretion at white dwarfs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Frank K
(2013)
CHARACTERIZATION OF INTRACLUSTER MEDIUM TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTIONS OF 62 GALAXY CLUSTERS WITH XMM-NEWTON
in The Astrophysical Journal
Galametz M
(2013)
Calibration of the total infrared luminosity of nearby galaxies from Spitzer and Herschel bands
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Galametz M
(2012)
Mapping the cold dust temperatures and masses of nearby KINGFISH galaxies with Herschel Mapping the cold dust properties with Herschel
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society