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
Powell S
(2012)
The periodic spectroscopic variability of FU Orionis Periodic spectroscopic variability of FU Ori
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pueyo L
(2012)
APPLICATION OF A DAMPED LOCALLY OPTIMIZED COMBINATION OF IMAGES METHOD TO THE SPECTRAL CHARACTERIZATION OF FAINT COMPANIONS USING AN INTEGRAL FIELD SPECTROGRAPH
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Pueyo L
(2012)
CONSTRAINING MASS RATIO AND EXTINCTION IN THE FU ORIONIS BINARY SYSTEM WITH INFRARED INTEGRAL FIELD SPECTROSCOPY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Pâris I
(2012)
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar catalog: ninth data release
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Raimundo S
(2013)
The black hole and central stellar population of MCG-6-30-15?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Raimundo S
(2012)
Can we measure the accretion efficiency of active galactic nuclei? The accretion efficiency of AGN
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Raskutti S
(2012)
Thermal constraints on the reionization of hydrogen by Population II stellar sources Thermal constraints on hydrogen reionization
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rauch M
(2013)
A z = 3.045 Ly a emitting halo hosting a QSO and a possible candidate for AGN-triggered star formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Rauch M
(2013)
Extended and filamentary Lya emission from the formation of a protogalactic halo at z = 2.63?†
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Raymond S
(2012)
Debris disks as signposts of terrestrial planet formation II. Dependence of exoplanet architectures on giant planet and disk properties
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Recio-Blanco A
(2012)
Fluorine abundances in dwarf stars of the solar neighbourhood
Recio-Blanco A
(2012)
Fluorine abundances in dwarf stars of the solar neighbourhood
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Reddy N
(2012)
THE CHARACTERISTIC STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF GALAXIES AT REDSHIFTS z ~ 2-7
in The Astrophysical Journal
Rein H
(2012)
Traditional formation scenarios fail to explain 4:3 mean motion resonances Traditional formation scenarios and the 4:3 resonance
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Reis R
(2013)
EVIDENCE OF LIGHT-BENDING EFFECTS AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR SPECTRAL STATE TRANSITIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reis R
(2012)
X-RAY SPECTRAL VARIABILITY IN NGC 3783
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reis R
(2012)
SUZAKU OBSERVATION OF THE BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE MAXI J1836-194 IN A HARD/INTERMEDIATE SPECTRAL STATE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Relaño M
(2012)
On how leakage can affect the star formation rate estimation using Ha luminosity Leakage effect on SFR estimates
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Reynolds C
(2012)
A MONTE CARLO MARKOV CHAIN BASED INVESTIGATION OF BLACK HOLE SPIN IN THE ACTIVE GALAXY NGC 3783
in The Astrophysical Journal
Richardson C
(2013)
The nature of the H2-emitting gas in the Crab nebula?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Risquez D
(2013)
Attitude reconstruction for the Gaia spacecraft
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Risquez D
(2012)
Dynamical attitude model for Gaia
in Experimental Astronomy
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
Rodriguez C
(2012)
Verifying the no-hair property of massive compact objects with intermediate-mass-ratio inspirals in advanced gravitational-wave detectors
in Physical Review D
Ross N
(2012)
THE SDSS-III BARYON OSCILLATION SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY: QUASAR TARGET SELECTION FOR DATA RELEASE NINE
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Rossi A
(2012)
A deep search for the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts with no detected optical afterglow
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rudie G
(2012)
THE TEMPERATURE-DENSITY RELATION IN THE INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM AT REDSHIFT ? z ? = 2.4
in The Astrophysical Journal
Rudie G
(2012)
THE GASEOUS ENVIRONMENT OF HIGH- z GALAXIES: PRECISION MEASUREMENTS OF NEUTRAL HYDROGEN IN THE CIRCUMGALACTIC MEDIUM OF z ~ 2-3 GALAXIES IN THE KECK BARYONIC STRUCTURE SURVEY
in The Astrophysical Journal
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
Russell H
(2012)
The X-ray luminous cluster underlying the z = 1.04 quasar PKS 1229-021 The X-ray luminous cluster underlying PKS 1229-021
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Russell H
(2014)
MASSIVE MOLECULAR GAS FLOWS IN THE A1664 BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Rémy-Ruyer A
(2014)
Gas-to-dust mass ratios in local galaxies over a 2 dex metallicity range
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
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
Saito R
(2012)
VVV DR1: The first data release of the Milky Way bulge and southern plane from the near-infrared ESO public survey VISTA variables in the Vía Láctea
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sakai S
(2012)
A DEEP, WIDE-FIELD Ha SURVEY OF NEARBY CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES: DATA
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Salucci P
(2012)
Dwarf spheroidal galaxy kinematics and spiral galaxy scaling laws DSph galaxy kinematics and spiral galaxy scaling laws
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sanders J
(2012)
Deep Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations of AWM 7 - I. Investigating X-ray surface brightness fluctuations X-ray surface brightness fluctuations in AWM 7
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sanders J
(2013)
Velocity width measurements of the coolest X-ray emitting material in the cores of clusters, groups and elliptical galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sanders J
(2014)
The X-ray coronae of the two brightest galaxies in the Coma cluster
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sanders JS
(2013)
Linear structures in the core of the Coma cluster of galaxies.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Sandstrom K
(2013)
THE CO-TO-H 2 CONVERSION FACTOR AND DUST-TO-GAS RATIO ON KILOPARSEC SCALES IN NEARBY GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Sanfrutos M
(2013)
The size of the X-ray emitting region in SWIFT J2127.4+5654 via a broad line region cloud X-ray eclipse
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sathyaprakash B
(2012)
Scientific objectives of Einstein Telescope
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
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
Sazonov S
(2012)
CONTRIBUTION OF THE ACCRETION DISK, HOT CORONA, AND OBSCURING TORUS TO THE LUMINOSITY OF SEYFERT GALAXIES: INTEGRAL AND SPITZER OBSERVATIONS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Schmittfull M
(2013)
Joint analysis of CMB temperature and lensing-reconstruction power spectra
in Physical Review D
Sibbons L
(2012)
The AGB population of NGC 6822: distribution and the C/M ratio from JHK photometry
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sil'chenko O
(2012)
Ages and abundances in large-scale stellar discs of nearby S0 galaxies Discs of S0 galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Simionescu A
(2013)
THERMODYNAMICS OF THE COMA CLUSTER OUTSKIRTS
in The Astrophysical Journal