Astrophysics and Cosmology Research within the JBCA 2017-2020
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
This grant supports the research of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. Our research is a divided into 3 groups. There are too many specific proposals to describe in detail, do below we have given a brief layman's explanation of the work being carried out by the three groups.
Cosmology: This is the study of the Universe as a whole. The main aim is to understand the processes by which the large scale feature of the Universe formed and to constrain the various different kinds of matter that existed within it. These include dark matter and dark energy which are thought to constitute more than 95% of the total. We do this by comparison to observations of weak and strong gravitational lensing which is the distortion of light predicted to be caused by massive objects in Einstein' Theory of General Relativity, the cosmic microwave background which is the faint emission of radiation created at the time when protons and electrons come together to form hydrogen and the emission given off by neutral hydrogen atoms in galaxies. The research we propose here involves both theory and observation as well as the development of the technology necessary to make the observations possible.
Sun, Stars and Galaxies: The researchers in this group study a wide range of astrophysical processes that are reasonable for the formation and evolution of the objects in the name of the group. Specific key areas that the group is interested in are the formation of stars much larger than the Sun and the subsequent evolution, the properties of the so-called interstellar medium (ISM) which comprises molecules not bound to stars and the magnetic fields that permeate space.
Pulsars and Time Domain Astrophysics: The focus of this group is astrophysical signatures that are change with time: things which come on and off, often with some kind of regularity. These include Pulsars which are non-standard star time, known as a neutron star, which is a dead star supported by the quantum pressure of neutrons. The radio emission from these objects pulses on an off with extraordinary regularity allowing them to acts cosmic clocks. The constantly measuring these clocks as the neutron stars spin and move through space, often impacted on by a companion star, allows the most precise constraints on the nature of gravity outside the solar system. Other phenomena studied by this group include Nova explosions, other variable stars, and variability induced by the lensing effects of one star passing in front of another, called microlensing.
Cosmology: This is the study of the Universe as a whole. The main aim is to understand the processes by which the large scale feature of the Universe formed and to constrain the various different kinds of matter that existed within it. These include dark matter and dark energy which are thought to constitute more than 95% of the total. We do this by comparison to observations of weak and strong gravitational lensing which is the distortion of light predicted to be caused by massive objects in Einstein' Theory of General Relativity, the cosmic microwave background which is the faint emission of radiation created at the time when protons and electrons come together to form hydrogen and the emission given off by neutral hydrogen atoms in galaxies. The research we propose here involves both theory and observation as well as the development of the technology necessary to make the observations possible.
Sun, Stars and Galaxies: The researchers in this group study a wide range of astrophysical processes that are reasonable for the formation and evolution of the objects in the name of the group. Specific key areas that the group is interested in are the formation of stars much larger than the Sun and the subsequent evolution, the properties of the so-called interstellar medium (ISM) which comprises molecules not bound to stars and the magnetic fields that permeate space.
Pulsars and Time Domain Astrophysics: The focus of this group is astrophysical signatures that are change with time: things which come on and off, often with some kind of regularity. These include Pulsars which are non-standard star time, known as a neutron star, which is a dead star supported by the quantum pressure of neutrons. The radio emission from these objects pulses on an off with extraordinary regularity allowing them to acts cosmic clocks. The constantly measuring these clocks as the neutron stars spin and move through space, often impacted on by a companion star, allows the most precise constraints on the nature of gravity outside the solar system. Other phenomena studied by this group include Nova explosions, other variable stars, and variability induced by the lensing effects of one star passing in front of another, called microlensing.
Planned Impact
The range of research we undertake and the world-class facilities within and in close association with JBCA (the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, e-MERLIN, the Lovell Telescope, the ALMA ARC and the SKA HQ) will provide key pathways to increasing our already strong impact on UK and global industry, the next generation of scientists and engineers, and the general public. The University's investment in the Jodrell Bank site combined with significant external funding (e.g. from Heritage Lottery Fund) will enable us to expand its use as an iconic venue for public and industrial engagement. The programme described here formed a key part of the School's submission for REF2014, helping it to be ranked highest in the REF for physics impact with 83% at 4* and 17% at 3*. Our outreach \& public engagement programme is extremely strong and continues to grow, particularly through its work with the University's award-winning Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre and the BBC. With the recent decision on SKA HQ location and our strong research work in this area, there is also growing impact in both outreach and industrial engagement in this area.
Our "Pathways to Impact" statement in the case for support outlines things that we have done in recent times under the headings of "Outreach and Public Engagement" and "Industrial and economic impact". We list some highlights below.
- Jodcast: Podcast run by students with 7000 regular listeners.
- 230000 Twitter followers
- Stargazing live
- JB Discovery centre with 150000 visitors per year
- Award winning "Live from Jodrell Bank" rock concerts
- Industry contracts for SKA work including CISCO, AASL, NPL, GEANT
- Newton programme for Radio Astronomy in Africa.
Our "Pathways to Impact" statement in the case for support outlines things that we have done in recent times under the headings of "Outreach and Public Engagement" and "Industrial and economic impact". We list some highlights below.
- Jodcast: Podcast run by students with 7000 regular listeners.
- 230000 Twitter followers
- Stargazing live
- JB Discovery centre with 150000 visitors per year
- Award winning "Live from Jodrell Bank" rock concerts
- Industry contracts for SKA work including CISCO, AASL, NPL, GEANT
- Newton programme for Radio Astronomy in Africa.
Organisations
Publications
Prandoni I
(2018)
The Lockman Hole Project: new constraints on the sub-mJy source counts from a wide-area 1.4 GHz mosaic
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Broderick J
(2018)
LOFAR 150-MHz observations of SS 433 and W 50
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Shaw B
(2018)
The largest glitch observed in the Crab pulsar
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vigeland S
(2018)
Reconciling Optical and Radio Observations of the Binary Millisecond Pulsar PSR J1640+2224
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dickinson C
(2018)
The State-of-Play of Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) research
in New Astronomy Reviews
Zuntz J
(2018)
Dark Energy Survey Year 1 results: weak lensing shape catalogues
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Battye R
(2018)
Do cosmological data rule out f ( R ) with w ? - 1 ?
in Physical Review D
Snaid S
(2018)
Flickering in AGB stars: probing the nature of accreting companions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jones M
(2018)
The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS): design and capabilities
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Li H
(2018)
SDSS-IV MaNGA: global stellar population and gradients for about 2000 early-type and spiral galaxies on the mass-size plane
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pineda J
(2018)
A SOFIA Survey of [C ii] in the Galaxy M51. I. [C ii] as a Tracer of Star Formation
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Erler J
(2018)
Planck's view on the spectrum of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rampadarath H
(2018)
Jets, arcs, and shocks: NGC 5195 at radio wavelengths
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sormani M
(2018)
A theoretical explanation for the Central Molecular Zone asymmetry
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McKee J
(2018)
Temporal variations in scattering and dispersion measure in the Crab Pulsar and their effect on timing precision
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lykou F
(2018)
The curious case of II Lup: a complex morphology revealed with SAM/NACO and ALMA
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jauzac M
(2018)
Growing a 'cosmic beast': observations and simulations of MACS J0717.5+3745
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
In 't Zand J
(2018)
Observatory science with eXTP
in Science China Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy
Chang C
(2018)
Dark Energy Survey Year 1 results: curved-sky weak lensing mass map
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
König S
(2018)
Major impact from a minor merger The extraordinary hot molecular gas flow in the Eye of the NGC 4194 Medusa galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jones O
(2018)
Near-infrared Stellar Populations in the Metal-poor, Dwarf Irregular Galaxies Sextans A and Leo A
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bhattacharyya B
(2018)
A long-term study of three rotating radio transients
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Remazeilles M
(2018)
Joint Bayesian estimation of tensor and lensing B modes in the power spectrum of CMB polarization data
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Saikia P
(2018)
15-GHz radio emission from nearby low-luminosity active galactic nuclei
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Reischke R
(2018)
Shear and vorticity in the spherical collapse of dark matter haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ng C
(2018)
PSR J1755-2550: a young radio pulsar with a massive, compact companion
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dharmawardena T
(2018)
Extended Dust Emission from Nearby Evolved Stars?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Walsh J
(2018)
An imaging spectroscopic survey of the planetary nebula NGC 7009 with MUSE
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Chyzy K
(2018)
LOFAR MSSS: Flattening low-frequency radio continuum spectra of nearby galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Thomson A.P.
(2018)
Studying galaxy evolution through cosmic time via the µJy radio population: Early results from eMERGE
in Proceedings of Science
Farahi A
(2018)
Localized massive halo properties in bahamas and MACSIS simulations: scalings, lognormality, and covariance
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Skipper C
(2018)
Spatially offset AGN candidates in the CLASS survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Stappers BW
(2018)
The prospects of pulsar timing with new-generation radio telescopes and the Square Kilometre Array.
in Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
Valentino E
(2018)
Exploring cosmic origins with CORE: Cosmological parameters
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Peters A
(2018)
Supercluster simulations: impact of baryons on the matter power spectrum and weak lensing forecasts for Super-CLASS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Savini F
(2018)
Studying the late evolution of a radio-loud AGN in a galaxy group with LOFAR
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Remazeilles M
(2018)
Extracting foreground-obscured µ-distortion anisotropies to constrain primordial non-Gaussianity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Bernardis P
(2018)
Exploring cosmic origins with CORE: The instrument
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Mann G
(2018)
Tracking of an electron beam through the solar corona with LOFAR
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lagos C
(2018)
The connection between mass, environment, and slow rotation in simulated galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Heesen V
(2018)
Exploring the making of a galactic wind in the starbursting dwarf irregular galaxy IC 10 with LOFAR
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Desvignes G
(2018)
Large Magneto-ionic Variations toward the Galactic Center Magnetar, PSR J1745-2900
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Gesicki K
(2018)
The mysterious age invariance of the planetary nebula luminosity function bright cut-off
in Nature Astronomy
Teanby N
(2018)
The Origin of Titan's External Oxygen: Further Constraints from ALMA Upper Limits on CS and CH 2 NH
in The Astronomical Journal
Gullberg B
(2018)
The Dust and [C ii] Morphologies of Redshift ~4.5 Sub-millimeter Galaxies at ~200 pc Resolution: The Absence of Large Clumps in the Interstellar Medium at High-redshift
in The Astrophysical Journal
Hickish J
(2018)
A digital correlator upgrade for the Arcminute MicroKelvin Imager
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wilber A
(2018)
LOFAR discovery of an ultra-steep radio halo and giant head-tail radio galaxy in Abell 1132
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Samuroff S
(2018)
Dark Energy Survey Year 1 results: the impact of galaxy neighbours on weak lensing cosmology with im3shape
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Demetroullas C
(2018)
Galaxy-galaxy and galaxy-cluster lensing with the SDSS and FIRST surveys
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Description | The consolidated grant supported a wide range of activities in astrophysics and cosmology at the JBCA. This was based around three areas: cosmology - the study of the Universe as a single entity, pulsars - spinning neutron stars which emit pulse of radio waves at regular intervals, astrophysical processes - the study of galaxy and star formation in the universe. Progress was made in all these areas. |
Exploitation Route | The wide range of work produce by the grant has been published in journals. These papers have received significant citations indicating that all the areas have had an impact within the academic research community. |
Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Other |
Description | The research has been used extensively in the outreach program of the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, which attracts 160,000 visitors per annum and focusses on hard-to-reach audiences. |
First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
Sector | Education |
Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |