LT Operations Extension April - September 2014
Lead Research Organisation:
Liverpool John Moores University
Department Name: Astrophysics Research Institute
Abstract
In order to maintain the operations of the Liverpool Telescope in the period 1st April 2014 - 30st September 2014 while a longer term funding decision is made, and to allow the retention of staff during that period, a contribution to the staffing costs of the telescope is requested from STFC as agreed by Colin Vincent.
Planned Impact
ARI has a long tradition of strong industrial and PUS engagement. We will continue our policy of engagement with engineering firms who will be commissioned to manufacture the structure of the instrument. In the past this has allowed firms working with us to upgrade their skills and machinery to deliver the high precision needed for astronomical instrumentation, allowing them to received a grants and R&D tax credits in order to upgrade their precision machining capability and safeguarding a number of jobs at the time. In addition such firms have been able to use their work on astronomical instrumentation to enhance their reputation with other customers and has assisted them in gaining access to new markets (for example contracts with ING and CERN). In addition the LT will remain the core of the National Schools Observatory, the UK's most significant schools outreach activity.
Publications
Bours M
(2015)
HST+COS spectra of the double white dwarf CSS 41177 place the secondary inside the pulsational instability strip
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mazzali P
(2014)
Hubble Space Telescope spectra of the Type Ia supernova SN 2011fe: a tail of low-density, high-velocity material with Z < Z?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Brdar V
(2019)
IceCube flavor ratios with identified astrophysical sources: towards improving new physics testability
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Tartaglia L
(2015)
Interacting supernovae and supernova impostors. SN 2007sv: the major eruption of a massive star in UGC 5979
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Prentice S
(2019)
Investigating the properties of stripped-envelope supernovae; what are the implications for their progenitors?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Von Essen C
(2018)
Kepler Object of Interest Network I. First results combining ground- and space-based observations of Kepler systems with transit timing variations
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Freudenthal J
(2018)
Kepler Object of Interest Network II. Photodynamical modelling of Kepler-9 over 8 years of transit observations
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Cia A
(2018)
Light Curves of Hydrogen-poor Superluminous Supernovae from the Palomar Transient Factory
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ellis J
(2019)
Limits on neutrino Lorentz violation from multimessenger observations of TXS 0506+056
in Physics Letters B
Kopac? D
(2015)
LIMITS ON OPTICAL POLARIZATION DURING THE PROMPT PHASE OF GRB 140430A
in The Astrophysical Journal
| Description | The National Schools' Observatory (NSO) is a major educational website, established by Liverpool John Moores University, to allow schools to make their own observations alongside professional astronomers with the world's largest fully-robotic telescope - the Liverpool Telescope. The NSO also provides educational resources to help with the challenging task of teaching science, technology and mathematics in the classroom environment. It has long been known that astronomy creates a sense of excitement and wonder in pupils of all ages. The NSO taps into that interest to further the pupil's knowledge of science and mathematics, while at the same time improve computer literacy and communications skills, strengthen critical thinking and provide experience the real-world application of science and technology. Using astronomical telescopes is the most important feature of this website and schools registered with the Schools' Observatory have the opportunity to make their observations using the LT. Over the past 10 years, over 100,000 observations have been taken for schools. Once the observing request has been completed, pupils are able to download the telescope data and use special Image Processing software (LTImage) to analyse the resulting images. |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Oxford |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Scientific Expertise, Access to telescope time |
| Collaborator Contribution | Scientific Expertise, Financial Contribution |
| Impact | Collaboration on followup of LOFAR radio transients starting in early 2014. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | ESA Gaia Support |
| Organisation | European Space Agency |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Telescope time, observation management and data reduction in support of the tracking of the Gaia satellite via optical means. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Target Position Information, Data Analysis |
| Impact | Ongoing project - wast initially test programme prior to satellite launch in September 2013, after became ongoing commercial contract with ESA renewed annually |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | FRODOSpec |
| Organisation | University of Southampton |
| Department | Physics and Astronomy |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Funding and effort to develop a dual beam spectrograph for the Liverpool Telescope using optical fibre and VPH technology. Ongoing joint exploitation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Funding contribution and scientific input to the spectrograph design. Ongoing joint exploitation. |
| Impact | The FRODOSpec instrument itself. Scientific publications. |
| Description | Joint GRB Programme |
| Organisation | University of Ljubljana |
| Department | Faculty of Mathematics and Physics |
| Country | Slovenia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Telescope time, data analysis, software development, scientific expertise |
| Collaborator Contribution | Funding, scientific expertise. |
| Impact | 17 joint scientific publications. |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | RISE |
| Organisation | Queen's University Belfast |
| Department | School of Mathematics and Physics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Design of a new fast-timing camera for the Liverpool Telescope, integration and operation. Joint scientific exploitation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Funding of hardware. Software development. Joint scientific Exploitation. |
| Impact | The RISE instrument. 17 scientific publications. |
| Start Year | 2007 |
| Title | Telescope Robotic Control Software |
| Description | Robotic Control Software for telescopes |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Used for robotic control of Liverpool and Faulkes Telescopes |
| URL | https://github.com/LivTel/robotic-control-system |
| Description | National Schools Observatory |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Over 100,000 Liverpool Telescope observations delivered into over 2,500 schools in the UK, with supporting curricular material etc. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |
| URL | http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk |