Astronomy Observation and Theory Consolidated Grant 2016-2019
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
This proposal is for a single Consolidated Grant to support the majority of research in Theoretical and Observational Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Institute of Astronomy (IoA) in Cambridge.
The theoretical research profile includes work to understand the origin of the Universe itself. Members of the IoA play a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the parameters that both define the geometry of the Universe and quantify the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic content. The research links to one of the key goals in astrophysics: constraining the properties of the dark matter and dark energy content of the Universe.
The Universe today is filled with galaxies, of which our own Milky Way is a not atypical example. A full understanding of galaxy formation and evolution requires multiple lines of attack. Observations of the resolved stellar populations in the Milky Way and its Local Group companions provide a detailed fossil record of the dynamical assemblies of the galaxies, the formation of stars, and the buildup of heavy elements over a wide range of mass scales and initial conditions. At the other end of the scale, observations of distant galaxies spanning lookback times of up to 12 Gyr provide direct measurements of the evolution of galaxy populations and the buildup of stars and metals with cosmic time. Finally, measurements of the large-scale star formation and abundance properties of nearby galaxies form a vital astrophysical bridge between the studies of nearby resolved stellar populations and the distant high-redshift investigations, by allowing us to characterise the evolutionary properties of the Hubble sequence and the complex "gastrophysical" processes that regulate the accretion of gas and the formation of stars in galaxies.
It is now recognised that there is an intimate link between the evolution of galaxies and the origin and properties of super-massive black holes, which reside at the centre of the Milky Way and other galaxies. The regions close to black holes allow the exploration of physics at the extremes. The formation and properties of super-massive black holes and their relation to the galaxies in which they reside is a research theme that involves theory, X-ray astrophysics and observational programmes in the grant.
Within galaxies, the grant focuses on star formation, from the giant molecular clouds which give birth to stars, down to the more detailed investigations of the processes that lead to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. The investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theories. The quest to study planetary systems around stars and their formation is another key goal. Research activity in the grant covers theoretical work that concentrates on the properties of exoplanets atmospheres, debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars.
The theoretical research profile includes work to understand the origin of the Universe itself. Members of the IoA play a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the parameters that both define the geometry of the Universe and quantify the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic content. The research links to one of the key goals in astrophysics: constraining the properties of the dark matter and dark energy content of the Universe.
The Universe today is filled with galaxies, of which our own Milky Way is a not atypical example. A full understanding of galaxy formation and evolution requires multiple lines of attack. Observations of the resolved stellar populations in the Milky Way and its Local Group companions provide a detailed fossil record of the dynamical assemblies of the galaxies, the formation of stars, and the buildup of heavy elements over a wide range of mass scales and initial conditions. At the other end of the scale, observations of distant galaxies spanning lookback times of up to 12 Gyr provide direct measurements of the evolution of galaxy populations and the buildup of stars and metals with cosmic time. Finally, measurements of the large-scale star formation and abundance properties of nearby galaxies form a vital astrophysical bridge between the studies of nearby resolved stellar populations and the distant high-redshift investigations, by allowing us to characterise the evolutionary properties of the Hubble sequence and the complex "gastrophysical" processes that regulate the accretion of gas and the formation of stars in galaxies.
It is now recognised that there is an intimate link between the evolution of galaxies and the origin and properties of super-massive black holes, which reside at the centre of the Milky Way and other galaxies. The regions close to black holes allow the exploration of physics at the extremes. The formation and properties of super-massive black holes and their relation to the galaxies in which they reside is a research theme that involves theory, X-ray astrophysics and observational programmes in the grant.
Within galaxies, the grant focuses on star formation, from the giant molecular clouds which give birth to stars, down to the more detailed investigations of the processes that lead to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. The investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theories. The quest to study planetary systems around stars and their formation is another key goal. Research activity in the grant covers theoretical work that concentrates on the properties of exoplanets atmospheres, debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars.
Planned Impact
The Institute of Astronomy ensures all students, postdocs and staff are actively involved both in delivering high value science, and also engaging and stimulating a variety of additional knowledge creation activities, focussing on public awareness, and on applications of research developments in medical, space-industry and commercial spheres.
The University of Cambridge has one of the most successful programmes for nurturing knowledge transfer and resulting economic and societal impact between University departments and industry both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The extraordinarily successful Cambridge Science Park is well known, with expertise and ideas from Cambridge Astrophysics being involved in the establishment of several businesses in the Cambridge area.
The IoA's approach to the search for impact opportunities is embedded in the mechanisms that the University has in place to facilitate this. The University's Research Office provides the primary point of contact for corporate liaison, and is actively involved in pursuing impact and knowledge exchange activities and opportunities throughout the University. Cambridge Enterprise, the University's technology transfer and entrepreneurship arm, exists to enhance the University of Cambridge's contribution to society through knowledge transfer from the University to the community. The Institute of Astronomy members interact with these organisations regularly. Engagement with the wider economic community is supported
by a Collaborative Research Facilitator, based in the Cavendish Laboratory, who is able to provide advice on relevant networking and funding opportunities.
In summary, the research carried out at the IoA supported through this will lead to a wide range of impacts across a broad range of areas. From direct and specific impact in the application of analysis techniques to problems in the medical field, in the gaming industry, to inspirational outreach programmes engaging with those teaching the next generation of scientists.
The University of Cambridge has one of the most successful programmes for nurturing knowledge transfer and resulting economic and societal impact between University departments and industry both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The extraordinarily successful Cambridge Science Park is well known, with expertise and ideas from Cambridge Astrophysics being involved in the establishment of several businesses in the Cambridge area.
The IoA's approach to the search for impact opportunities is embedded in the mechanisms that the University has in place to facilitate this. The University's Research Office provides the primary point of contact for corporate liaison, and is actively involved in pursuing impact and knowledge exchange activities and opportunities throughout the University. Cambridge Enterprise, the University's technology transfer and entrepreneurship arm, exists to enhance the University of Cambridge's contribution to society through knowledge transfer from the University to the community. The Institute of Astronomy members interact with these organisations regularly. Engagement with the wider economic community is supported
by a Collaborative Research Facilitator, based in the Cavendish Laboratory, who is able to provide advice on relevant networking and funding opportunities.
In summary, the research carried out at the IoA supported through this will lead to a wide range of impacts across a broad range of areas. From direct and specific impact in the application of analysis techniques to problems in the medical field, in the gaming industry, to inspirational outreach programmes engaging with those teaching the next generation of scientists.
Organisations
Publications
Abazajian K
CMB-S4 Decadal Survey APC White Paper
Abbott B
(2016)
SUPPLEMENT: "LOCALIZATION AND BROADBAND FOLLOW-UP OF THE GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE TRANSIENT GW150914" (2016, ApJL, 826, L13)
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Abbott B
(2017)
Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger
in The Astrophysical Journal
Abbott B
(2016)
LOCALIZATION AND BROADBAND FOLLOW-UP OF THE GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE TRANSIENT GW150914
in The Astrophysical Journal
Abbott T
(2018)
Dark Energy Survey year 1 results: Cosmological constraints from galaxy clustering and weak lensing
in Physical Review D
Abbott T
(2018)
The Dark Energy Survey: Data Release 1
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Abbott T
(2016)
Cosmology from cosmic shear with Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data
in Physical Review D
Abbott TMC
(2019)
Cosmological Constraints from Multiple Probes in the Dark Energy Survey.
in Physical review letters
Abdullah A
(2017)
The Origin of [C ii] 157 µ m Emission in a Five-component Interstellar Medium: The Case of NGC 3184 and NGC 628
in The Astrophysical Journal
Adamo A
(2017)
Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey with The Hubble Space Telescope : Stellar Cluster Catalogs and First Insights Into Cluster Formation and Evolution in NGC 628
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ade P
(2019)
The Simons Observatory: science goals and forecasts
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Adhikari R
(2017)
A White Paper on keV sterile neutrino Dark Matter
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Agnello A
(2017)
Models of the strongly lensed quasar DES J0408-5354
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Agnello A
(2018)
DES meets Gaia: discovery of strongly lensed quasars from a multiplet search
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Aguado D
(2021)
Elevated r-process Enrichment in Gaia Sausage and Sequoia
in The Astrophysical Journal
Aguado D
(2020)
The S2 Stream: the shreds of a primitive dwarf galaxy.*
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Agurto-Gangas C
(2019)
Revealing the dust grain size in the inner envelope of the Class I protostar Per-emb-50
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Aharonian F
(2017)
Hitomi Constraints on the 3.5 keV Line in the Perseus Galaxy Cluster
in The Astrophysical Journal
Aharonian H
(2018)
Atomic data and spectral modeling constraints from high-resolution X-ray observations of the Perseus cluster with Hitomi*
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
Aharonian H
(2018)
Hitomi observations of the LMC SNR N 132 D: Highly redshifted X-ray emission from iron ejecta*
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
Aharonian H
(2018)
Search for thermal X-ray features from the Crab nebula with the Hitomi soft X-ray spectrometer*
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
Aharonian H
(2018)
Hitomi observation of radio galaxy NGC 1275: The first X-ray microcalorimeter spectroscopy of Fe-Ka line emission from an active galactic nucleus*
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
Ahoranta J
(2016)
Observations of asymmetric velocity fields and gas cooling in the NGC 4636 galaxy group X-ray halo
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ai Y
(2017)
XMM-Newton observation of the ultraluminous quasar SDSS J010013.02+280225.8 at redshift 6.326
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Alaghband-Zadeh S
(2016)
Heavily reddened z ~ 2 Type 1 quasars - II. H a star formation constraints from SINFONI IFU observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Albert A
(2019)
Search for Multimessenger Sources of Gravitational Waves and High-energy Neutrinos with Advanced LIGO during Its First Observing Run, ANTARES, and IceCube
in The Astrophysical Journal
Alston W
(2020)
A dynamic black hole corona in an active galaxy through X-ray reverberation mapping
in Nature Astronomy
Alston W
(2016)
Quasi periodic oscilations in active galactic nuclei Quasi periodic oscilations in active galactic nuclei
in Astronomische Nachrichten
Alston W
(2019)
The remarkable X-ray variability of IRAS 13224-3809 - I. The variability process
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
An J
(2017)
Reflection symmetries of Isolated Self-consistent Stellar Systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
An J
(2019)
Self-consistent potential-density pairs of thick discs and flattened galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
An J.
(2017)
Reflection symmetries of Isolated Self-consistent Stellar Systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Anderson D
(2017)
The discoveries of WASP-91b, WASP-105b and WASP-107b: Two warm Jupiters and a planet in the transition region between ice giants and gas giants
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Anguita T
(2018)
The STRong lensing Insights into the Dark Energy Survey (STRIDES) 2016 follow-up campaign. II. New quasar lenses from double component fitting.
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ansdell M
(2016)
Dipper discs not inclined towards edge-on orbits
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Ansdell M
(2020)
Are inner disc misalignments common? ALMA reveals an isotropic outer disc inclination distribution for young dipper stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Armstrong D
(2018)
Automatic vetting of planet candidates from ground-based surveys: machine learning with NGTS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Armstrong DJ
(2020)
A remnant planetary core in the hot-Neptune desert.
in Nature
Ashley R
(2020)
V1460 Her: a fast spinning white dwarf accreting from an evolved donor star
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Audcent-Ross F
(2018)
Near-identical star formation rate densities from Ha and FUVat redshift zero
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Aydi E
(2016)
V5852 Sgr: an unusual nova possibly associated with the Sagittarius stream
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bacchus E
(2017)
Project 1640 observations of the white dwarf HD 114174 B
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Badurina L
(2020)
AION: an atom interferometer observatory and network
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Balakrishnan M
(2020)
Swift Spectroscopy of the Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRO J1655-40
in The Astrophysical Journal
Baleato Lizancos A
(2021)
Limitations of CMB B -mode template delensing
in Physical Review D
Baleato Lizancos A
(2022)
Delensing the CMB with the cosmic infrared background: the impact of foregrounds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bambic C
(2018)
Limits on turbulent propagation of energy in cool-core clusters of galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Banerji M
(2018)
The Interstellar Medium Properties of Heavily Reddened Quasars & Companions at z ~ 2.5 with ALMA & JVLA
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Banerji M
(2017)
The discovery of gas-rich, dusty starbursts in luminous reddened quasars at z ~ 2.5 with ALMA
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barcons X
(2017)
Athena: ESA 's X-ray observatory for the late 2020s
in Astronomische Nachrichten