Astronomy and Astrophysics at Edinburgh
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
An astonishing feature of modern astrophysical research is that we have in principle a chain of explanation that stretches from processes on cosmological scales of billions of light years, down to the creation of stars, planets around the stars and life on the planets. In a sense, this process is almost a closed loop: the early Universe was once of sub-nuclear scale, so that quantum mechanical uncertainty is bound to seed fluctuations in density, which eventually collapse under gravity to make astronomical structures. This is the same physics of the very small that governs the formation of the atoms out of which we are all made.
But unanswered questions abound at all stages of this process. Our theories of the early Universe and explanations of its current expansion rest on the concept that empty space can have weight: the so-called "dark energy". We need to study its properties and understand its origin. In so doing, we often assume that Einstein's relativity describes gravity correctly on all scales, but can we test this? If the standard theory is correct, dark matter is required, and we are driven to follow the processes by which it clumps, and by which the gas within these clumps evolves and eventually collapses to form stars and massive black holes. New large telescopes on the ground, together with observing platforms in space such as the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes (and soon the James Webb Space Telescope), allow us to see this process in action and compare the observations with detailed computer simulations. Nearer to home, we can dissect galaxies such as our own Milky Way into individual stars, for the most detailed view of how they were assembled. And finally we can study how planets arise around these stars, both from new instruments that can detect the presence of "exo-planets" and by computer simulations of how they may be created within the discs of gas and dust left over from star formation. Ultimately, one can refine the search to planets potentially capable of supporting life, and ask how life might arise within these early planetary systems.
Research in astronomy at Edinburgh attacks all of these connected questions. Progress is rapid, driven by technological breakthroughs in observational facilities and computing power, and our understanding is evolving rapidly. Major progress, even if not final answers, can be expected within a few years. This is an exciting time for our understanding of the full history and structure of our Universe and our place within it.
But unanswered questions abound at all stages of this process. Our theories of the early Universe and explanations of its current expansion rest on the concept that empty space can have weight: the so-called "dark energy". We need to study its properties and understand its origin. In so doing, we often assume that Einstein's relativity describes gravity correctly on all scales, but can we test this? If the standard theory is correct, dark matter is required, and we are driven to follow the processes by which it clumps, and by which the gas within these clumps evolves and eventually collapses to form stars and massive black holes. New large telescopes on the ground, together with observing platforms in space such as the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes (and soon the James Webb Space Telescope), allow us to see this process in action and compare the observations with detailed computer simulations. Nearer to home, we can dissect galaxies such as our own Milky Way into individual stars, for the most detailed view of how they were assembled. And finally we can study how planets arise around these stars, both from new instruments that can detect the presence of "exo-planets" and by computer simulations of how they may be created within the discs of gas and dust left over from star formation. Ultimately, one can refine the search to planets potentially capable of supporting life, and ask how life might arise within these early planetary systems.
Research in astronomy at Edinburgh attacks all of these connected questions. Progress is rapid, driven by technological breakthroughs in observational facilities and computing power, and our understanding is evolving rapidly. Major progress, even if not final answers, can be expected within a few years. This is an exciting time for our understanding of the full history and structure of our Universe and our place within it.
Planned Impact
Details of our Pathways to Impact are provided in the separate 2-page attachment.
Organisations
Publications
Lee S
(2022)
Galaxy-galaxy lensing with the DES-CMASS catalogue: measurement and constraints on the galaxy-matter cross-correlation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lemos P
(2021)
Assessing tension metrics with dark energy survey and Planck data
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Leung G
(2021)
Joint gas and stellar dynamical models of WLM: an isolated dwarf galaxy within a cored, prolate DM halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Leung T
(2019)
The ISM Properties and Gas Kinematics of a Redshift 3 Massive Dusty Star-forming Galaxy
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lewis A
(2018)
Ultra-red Galaxies Signpost Candidate Protoclusters at High Redshift
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lewis G
(2023)
Chemo-dynamical substructure in the M31 inner halo globular clusters: further evidence for a recent accretion event
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Li Q
(2018)
Dark Molecular Gas in Simulations of z ~ 0 Disk Galaxies
in The Astrophysical Journal
Li Q
(2021)
The origin of the dust extinction curve in milky way-like galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ligi R
(2018)
Investigation of the inner structures around HD 169142 with VLT/SPHERE
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lilleengen S
(2023)
The effect of the deforming dark matter haloes of the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud on the Orphan-Chenab stream
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lim C
(2020)
SCUBA-2 Ultra Deep Imaging EAO Survey (Studies). III. Multiwavelength Properties, Luminosity Functions, and Preliminary Source Catalog of 450 µ m Selected Galaxies
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lim D
(2021)
Chemodynamics of metal-poor wide binaries in the Galactic halo: Association with the Sequoia event
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lira P
(2021)
Spectropolarimetry of NGC 3783 and Mrk 509: Evidence for powerful nuclear winds in Seyfert 1 Galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Liu M
(2022)
On the Unusual Variability of 2MASS J06195260-2903592: A Long-lived Disk around a Young Ultracool Dwarf
in The Astronomical Journal
Livernois A
(2021)
Early dynamics and violent relaxation of multimass rotating star clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lochhaas C
(2021)
Figuring Out Gas & Galaxies In Enzo (FOGGIE). V. The Virial Temperature Does Not Describe Gas in a Virialized Galaxy Halo
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lopez E
(2018)
How formation time-scales affect the period dependence of the transition between rocky super-Earths and gaseous sub-Neptunesand implications for ??
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Loureiro A
(2022)
KiDS and Euclid : Cosmological implications of a pseudo angular power spectrum analysis of KiDS-1000 cosmic shear tomography
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lovell C
(2021)
Reproducing submillimetre galaxy number counts with cosmological hydrodynamic simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lovell C
(2022)
An orientation bias in observations of submillimetre galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lovell C
(2021)
Reproducing submillimetre galaxy number counts with cosmological hydrodynamic simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lower S
(2020)
How Well Can We Measure the Stellar Mass of a Galaxy: The Impact of the Assumed Star Formation History Model in SED Fitting
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lukic V
(2019)
Morphological classification of radio galaxies: capsule networks versus convolutional neural networks
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ma W
(2022)
Effects of Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback on Cold Gas Depletion and Quenching of Central Galaxies
in The Astrophysical Journal
MacCrann N
(2018)
DES Y1 Results: validating cosmological parameter estimation using simulated Dark Energy Surveys
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
MacCrann N
(2022)
Dark Energy Survey Y3 results: blending shear and redshift biases in image simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
MacCrann N
(2022)
Dark Energy Survey Y3 results: blending shear and redshift biases in image simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Macfarlane C
(2021)
The radio loudness of SDSS quasars from the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey: ubiquitous jet activity and constraints on star formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mackey A
(2019)
The outer halo globular cluster system of M31 - III. Relationship to the stellar halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Maddox N
(2021)
MIGHTEE-HI: The H I emission project of the MeerKAT MIGHTEE survey
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mahatma V
(2019)
LoTSS DR1: Double-double radio galaxies in the HETDEX field
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mahony C
(2022)
The halo model with beyond-linear halo bias: unbiasing cosmological constraints from galaxy-galaxy lensing and clustering
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Maire A
(2020)
Orbital and spectral characterization of the benchmark T-type brown dwarf HD 19467B
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Malavolta L
(2018)
An Ultra-short Period Rocky Super-Earth with a Secondary Eclipse and a Neptune-like Companion around K2-141
in The Astronomical Journal
Mamon G
(2020)
The frequency of very young galaxies in the local Universe - II. The view from SDSS spectra
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mandal S
(2021)
Extremely deep 150 MHz source counts from the LoTSS Deep Fields
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Manjavacas E
(2022)
Top-of-the-atmosphere and Vertical Cloud Structure of a Fast-rotating Late T Dwarf
in The Astronomical Journal
Manjavacas E
(2021)
Revealing the Vertical Cloud Structure of a Young Low-mass Brown Dwarf, an Analog to the ß-Pictoris b Directly Imaged Exoplanet, through Keck I/MOSFIRE Spectrophotometric Variability
in The Astronomical Journal
Mann G
(2018)
Tracking of an electron beam through the solar corona with LOFAR
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Manolopoulou M
(2021)
Environmental dependence of X-ray and optical properties of galaxy clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Martinelli M
(2021)
Euclid : Constraining dark energy coupled to electromagnetism using astrophysical and laboratory data
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Martinelli M
(2021)
Euclid : Impact of non-linear and baryonic feedback prescriptions on cosmological parameter estimation from weak lensing cosmic shear
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Martinelli M
(2020)
Euclid : Forecast constraints on the cosmic distance duality relation with complementary external probes
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mawdsley B
(2020)
Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Wide-field mass maps via forward fitting in harmonic space
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McCabe T
(2021)
Detection of a Multiphase Intragroup Medium: Results from the COS-IGrM Survey
in The Astrophysical Journal
McCheyne I
(2022)
The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey Deep fields The mass dependence of the far-infrared radio correlation at 150 MHz using deblended Herschel fluxes
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
McClintock T
(2019)
Dark Energy Survey Year 1 results: weak lensing mass calibration of redMaPPer galaxy clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McCracken H
(2020)
A lack of evolution in the very bright end of the galaxy luminosity function from z ? 8 to 10
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McGibbon R
(2022)
Multi-epoch machine learning 1: Unravelling nature versus nurture for galaxy formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society