Astrophysics Research at the University of Leicester
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
We will deliver world-class research programmes in astrophysics through the exploitation of data from space missions and ground based telescopes, as well as the development of new theories and the numerical simulation of processes in these areas. We will also develop new instrumental techniques and detectors for future missions and telescopes. The research programme is based mainly around two research groups, with some participation by three others. These groups conduct their own research projects but also have a strong ethos of collaboration on topics of mutual interest.
Our research seeks to understand basic processes in our own and other galaxies, addressing questions of great interest to the wider public. We will search for new planets orbiting nearby stars which may mimic the planets that are present in our own solar system or possibly be very different, such as hot Neptunes, or Super Earths.
We will investigate some of the most extreme environments in our Universe by high energy astrophysics research focusing on extreme phenomena ranging from Galactic black hole binaries, through to active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts. These studies will include the feedback processes that link black holes to the evolution of their host galaxies.
We will maintain and enhance a programme in stellar astronomy with emphasis on the astrophysics of white dwarf stars. We will be using high performance computers to simulate these systems theoretically. This in turn will help our observations and vice versa. Through these simulations we will build theories and models of how these extreme systems behave. We will use these simulations to try to understand the `dark' matter which constitutes much of the material
content of the Universe. We will use laboratory experimentation to develop new ways to observe these phenomena, building new instruments for the next generation of space missions.
This work also offers spin-off activities which often drive progress in areas far removed from astrophysics. Our department has an active programme of engagement with the wider community, particularly school age children, who are thrilled to hear about research in the Department. We will maintain a strong commitment to knowledge transfer for academic beneficiaries.
Our research seeks to understand basic processes in our own and other galaxies, addressing questions of great interest to the wider public. We will search for new planets orbiting nearby stars which may mimic the planets that are present in our own solar system or possibly be very different, such as hot Neptunes, or Super Earths.
We will investigate some of the most extreme environments in our Universe by high energy astrophysics research focusing on extreme phenomena ranging from Galactic black hole binaries, through to active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts. These studies will include the feedback processes that link black holes to the evolution of their host galaxies.
We will maintain and enhance a programme in stellar astronomy with emphasis on the astrophysics of white dwarf stars. We will be using high performance computers to simulate these systems theoretically. This in turn will help our observations and vice versa. Through these simulations we will build theories and models of how these extreme systems behave. We will use these simulations to try to understand the `dark' matter which constitutes much of the material
content of the Universe. We will use laboratory experimentation to develop new ways to observe these phenomena, building new instruments for the next generation of space missions.
This work also offers spin-off activities which often drive progress in areas far removed from astrophysics. Our department has an active programme of engagement with the wider community, particularly school age children, who are thrilled to hear about research in the Department. We will maintain a strong commitment to knowledge transfer for academic beneficiaries.
Planned Impact
The applicants offer a diverse skill set that constitute a valuable resource to the private and public sectors. We have extensive experience and expertise in e.g. data analysis and handling, spacecraft and mission management, algorithm design, software engineering and high performance computing. Exploitation of this expertise is supported at all levels within the University. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is committed to
promoting and maximising the impact of our research. The College of Science and Engineering plays a leading role in the Enterprise Agenda for the University and offers dedicated enterprise officers and impact enhancing resources. Further support is provided by the University's Enterprise and Business Development Office, which works with academics and external stakeholders to create maximum impact in the local, provide national, and international community. This structure (i) delivers enterprising impact through the alignment of our research with major global and industrial challenges, (ii) identifies and addresses the opportunities to play a positive role in the economic development of our region and the UK, (iii) utilises research and related activities to develop skills and capability within a broad spectrum of the public and private sectors, (iv) provides expert advice and
guidance to industry and policy makers, (v) ensures that its intellectual property is effectively transferred and disseminated, and (vi) contributes to the wider cultural benefit of society through an enterprising and engaging outreach programme.
The long term impact strategy has four elements:
(1) to support and develop the skills and experience of the applicants;
(2) to ensure that links with public and private sector industries are developed, cultivated and maximised;
(3) to disseminate knowledge, skills and expterise to the benefit of the local, national and international business and civic communities;
(4) to sustain and develop our successful outreach programme with particular emphasis on enhancing our efforts to develop valid outcome measures.
promoting and maximising the impact of our research. The College of Science and Engineering plays a leading role in the Enterprise Agenda for the University and offers dedicated enterprise officers and impact enhancing resources. Further support is provided by the University's Enterprise and Business Development Office, which works with academics and external stakeholders to create maximum impact in the local, provide national, and international community. This structure (i) delivers enterprising impact through the alignment of our research with major global and industrial challenges, (ii) identifies and addresses the opportunities to play a positive role in the economic development of our region and the UK, (iii) utilises research and related activities to develop skills and capability within a broad spectrum of the public and private sectors, (iv) provides expert advice and
guidance to industry and policy makers, (v) ensures that its intellectual property is effectively transferred and disseminated, and (vi) contributes to the wider cultural benefit of society through an enterprising and engaging outreach programme.
The long term impact strategy has four elements:
(1) to support and develop the skills and experience of the applicants;
(2) to ensure that links with public and private sector industries are developed, cultivated and maximised;
(3) to disseminate knowledge, skills and expterise to the benefit of the local, national and international business and civic communities;
(4) to sustain and develop our successful outreach programme with particular emphasis on enhancing our efforts to develop valid outcome measures.
Organisations
Publications
Bayliss D
(2018)
NGTS-1b: A hot Jupiter transiting an M-dwarf
Bayliss D
(2018)
NGTS-1b: a hot Jupiter transiting an M-dwarf
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Beardmore A
(2016)
Lord of the Rings - Return of the King: Swift -XRT observations of dust scattering rings around V404 Cygni
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bianchi L
(2018)
Using GALEX-SDSS-PanSTARRS-HST-Gaia to understand post-AGB evolution
in Astrophysics and Space Science
Bianchi Luciana
(2016)
Characterization of the hot white dwarfs population in the Milky Way with GALEX, SDSS, PanSTARRS, and HST, to understand post-AGB evolution.
in 41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly
Bolmer J
(2018)
Dust reddening and extinction curves toward gamma-ray bursts at z > 4
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Bond Howard E.
(2018)
Final Hubble Space Telescope Astrometry of the Procyon Binary System
in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society
Braker I. P.
(2017)
Photometric Variability and Spectroscopic Characterisation of White Dwarfs in Kepler 2 Fields
in 20th European White Dwarf Workshop
Brown G
(2017)
Late-time observations of the relativistic tidal disruption flare candidate Swift J1112.2-8238
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Burhanudin U
(2021)
Light-curve classification with recurrent neural networks for GOTO: dealing with imbalanced data
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Burningham B
(2016)
A LOFAR mini-survey for low-frequency radio emission from the nearest brown dwarfs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cano Z
(2017)
GRB 161219B/SN 2016jca: A low-redshift gamma-ray burst supernova powered by radioactive heating
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cantiello M
(2018)
A Precise Distance to the Host Galaxy of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817 Using Surface Brightness Fluctuations *
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Casewell S
(2018)
A low-mass eclipsing binary within the fully convective zone from the Next Generation Transit Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cashmore C
(2017)
Too small to succeed: the difficulty of sustaining star formation in low-mass haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cenko S
(2016)
AN ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRUM OF THE TIDAL DISRUPTION FLARE ASASSN-14li
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Chaushev A
(2019)
Classifying exoplanet candidates with convolutional neural networks: application to the Next Generation Transit Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cherenkov Telescope Array Consortium The
(2017)
Science with the Cherenkov Telescope Array
in arXiv e-prints
Christensen L
(2017)
Solving the conundrum of intervening strong Mg II absorbers towards gamma-ray bursts and quasars
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Collaboration G
(2020)
VizieR Online Data Catalog: Gaia Catalogue of Nearby Stars - GCNS (Gaia collaboration, 2021)
in VizieR Online Data Catalog
Collaboration G
(2022)
Gaia Data Release 3: The Galaxy in your preferred colours. Synthetic photometry from Gaia low-resolution spectra
in arXiv e-prints
Collaboration G
(2018)
VizieR Online Data Catalog: Gaia DR2 sources in GC and dSph (Gaia Collaboration+, 2018)
in VizieR Online Data Catalog
Collaboration G
(2022)
Gaia Data Release 3: Reflectance spectra of Solar System small bodies
in arXiv e-prints
Collaboration G
(2022)
Gaia Data Release 3: Pulsations in main sequence OBAF-type stars
in arXiv e-prints
Description | Further progress in a variety of fields of astrophysics. |
Exploitation Route | Further research in various areas of astrophysics. |
Sectors | Education |
Description | Royal Society Research Grant |
Amount | £13,055 (GBP) |
Funding ID | RG170230 |
Organisation | The Royal Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2017 |
End | 10/2018 |
Description | Creativity and Curiosity - Art meets astronomy |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The project started as a discussion between artists and astronomers to stimulate new art and engage with new audiences. Events have included exhibitions of the artworks and associated discussion events across the county and abroad. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.creativityandcuriosity.com |
Description | US NSF announcement of discovery of first gravitational wave source with electromagnetic counterpart - Oct 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | US National Science Foundation press release. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/press-release-gw170817 |
Description | Various school visits, astronomical society lectures |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Many presentations, 100s of students, excellent questions and discussion. Audience figures are totals for activities during each year. Improvements in interest in applying for science degrees |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021 |