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
Hall A
(2012)
Probing the neutrino mass hierarchy with cosmic microwave background weak lensing Neutrino mass hierarchy
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Drake A
(2013)
PROBING THE OUTER GALACTIC HALO WITH RR LYRAE FROM THE CATALINA SURVEYS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Crocker A
(2013)
QUANTIFYING NON-STAR-FORMATION-ASSOCIATED 8 µm DUST EMISSION IN NGC 628
in The Astrophysical Journal
Barker M
(2012)
Quantifying the faint structure of galaxies: the late-type spiral NGC 2403?† The Faint Structure of NGC 2403
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ball W
(2012)
Quasi-stars and the Schönberg-Chandrasekhar limit
Ball W
(2012)
Quasi-stars, giants and the Schönberg-Chandrasekhar limit Quasi-stars, giants and the SC limit
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chiang C
(2012)
Re-examining the XMM-Newton spectrum of the black hole candidate XTE J1652-453 Re-examining XMM spectrum of XTE J1652-453
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
Pinto C
(2012)
Reflection and dissipation of Alfvén waves in interstellar clouds
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
King A
(2013)
REGULATION OF BLACK HOLE WINDS AND JETS ACROSS THE MASS SCALE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Zoghbi A
(2012)
Relativistic iron K X-ray reverberation in NGC 4151 Iron K reverberation in NGC 4151
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Young M
(2012)
Reliable estimation of the column density in smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations Gravity estimate of column density
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tremblay G
(2012)
Residual cooling and persistent star formation amid active galactic nucleus feedback in Abell 2597 Residual cooling amid AGN feedback in A2597
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Booth M
(2012)
Resolved debris discs around A stars in the Herschel DEBRIS survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Donovan Meyer J
(2012)
RESOLVED MEASUREMENTS OF X CO IN NGC 6946
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
Smith R
(2012)
Resolving the terrestrial planet forming regions of HD 113766 and HD 172555 with MIDI MIDI observations of HD 113766 and HD 172555
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rémy-Ruyer A
(2013)
Revealing the cold dust in low-metallicity environments I. Photometry analysis of the Dwarf Galaxy Survey with Herschel ?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kara E
(2013)
Revealing the X-ray source in IRAS 13224-3809 through flux-dependent reverberation lags
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Miller J
(2013)
REVISITING PUTATIVE COOL ACCRETION DISKS IN ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Canning R
(2012)
Riding the wake of a merging galaxy cluster Abell 2146 BCG
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Amin M
(2012)
Scale-dependent growth from a transition in dark energy dynamics
in Physical Review D
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
Sathyaprakash B
(2012)
Scientific objectives of Einstein Telescope
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Aaltonen T
(2012)
Search for a dark matter candidate produced in association with a single top quark in pp collisions at v[s]=1.96 TeV.
in Physical review letters
Aaltonen T
(2012)
Search for anomalous production of multiple leptons in association with W and Z bosons at CDF
in Physical Review D
Aaltonen T
(2012)
Search for dark matter in events with one jet and missing transverse energy in pp¯ collisions at vs=1.96 TeV.
in Physical review letters
Abadie J
(2012)
SEARCH FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVES ASSOCIATED WITH GAMMA-RAY BURSTS DURING LIGO SCIENCE RUN 6 AND VIRGO SCIENCE RUNS 2 AND 3
in The Astrophysical Journal
Aasi J
(2013)
Search for gravitational waves from binary black hole inspiral, merger, and ringdown in LIGO-Virgo data from 2009-2010
in Physical Review D
Abadie J
(2012)
Search for gravitational waves from intermediate mass binary black holes
in Physical Review D
Walton D
(2012)
Searching for massive outflows in Holmberg IX X-1 and NGC 1313 X-1: the iron K band Searching for winds in ULXs: the Fe K band
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Panagoulia E
(2013)
Searching for the missing iron mass in the core of the Centaurus cluster
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lagattuta D
(2012)
SHARP - I. A high-resolution multiband view of the infrared Einstein ring of JVAS B1938+666 SHARP - I. JVAS B1938+666
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Russell H
(2012)
Shock fronts, electron-ion equilibration and intracluster medium transport processes in the merging cluster Abell 2146 The merging cluster Abell 2146
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Veras D
(2013)
Simulations of two-planet systems through all phases of stellar evolution: implications for the instability boundary and white dwarf pollution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nipoti C
(2012)
Size and velocity-dispersion evolution of early-type galaxies in a ? cold dark matter universe Evolution of early-type galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith M
(2012)
SLICING AND DICING THE MILKY WAY DISK IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Conn B
(2012)
SLICING THE MONOCEROS OVERDENSITY WITH SUPRIME-CAM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Mentuch Cooper E
(2012)
SPATIALLY RESOLVED STELLAR, DUST, AND GAS PROPERTIES OF THE POST-INTERACTING WHIRLPOOL GALAXY SYSTEM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Simpson J
(2012)
Spectral matching for abundances and clustering analysis of stars on the giant branches of ? Centauri Abundances and clustering analysis of ? Cen
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Roberts L
(2012)
SPECTRAL TYPING OF LATE-TYPE STELLAR COMPANIONS TO YOUNG STARS FROM LOW-DISPERSION NEAR-INFRARED INTEGRAL FIELD UNIT DATA
in The Astronomical Journal
Verbeek K
(2012)
Spectroscopic follow-up of ultraviolet-excess objects selected from the UVEX survey Spectroscopic follow-up of UV-excess objects
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Boccaletti A
(2012)
SPICES: spectro-polarimetric imaging and characterization of exoplanetary systems From planetary disks to nearby Super Earths
in Experimental Astronomy
Lisse C
(2012)
SPITZER EVIDENCE FOR A LATE-HEAVY BOMBARDMENT AND THE FORMATION OF UREILITES IN ? CORVI At ~1 Gyr
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kennicutt R
(2012)
Star Formation in the Milky Way and Nearby Galaxies
in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Li Y
(2013)
STAR FORMATION RATES IN RESOLVED GALAXIES: CALIBRATIONS WITH NEAR- AND FAR-INFRARED DATA FOR NGC 5055 AND NGC 6946
in The Astrophysical Journal
Potter A
(2012)
Stellar evolution of massive stars with a radiative a-O dynamo Stellar evolution with a radiative dynamo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Savaglio S
(2012)
Supersolar metal abundances in two galaxies at z ~ 3.57 revealed by the GRB 090323 afterglow spectrum? Supersolar metallicity in two z~ 3.57 galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society