Astrophysics Research at the University of Leicester
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Our research aims to investigate a range of high-priority science topics in these areas:
i. studying high-energy and high-redshift explosive transients and how they relate to gravitational wave events
ii. investigating the growth and evolution of the first stars and black holes in galaxies
iii. determining the properties of accretion disks in active galactic nuclei
iv. measuring the fundamental properties of white dwarf stars, the remnants of stars like the Sun
v. investigating the properties of exoplanets, brown dwarfs and low mass stars
vi. determining the evolution of tidal disruption events in galaxies where stars are torn apart as they come close to a supermassive black
vii. investigating the origin of the stars seen in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy
viii. determining the structure of the Milky Way galaxy
ix. investigating the auroral emission of exoplanets
x. developing the concept of an intensity interferometry system for the Cherenkov Telescope Array to provide high-resolution images of cosmic objects
We will deliver this programme by carrying out observations using a broad range of ground and space based observing facilities, including XMM-Newton, HST, Swift, GAIA, JWST, ALMA, VLT, VISTA, WHT, INT, LT, NGTS, GOTO and Spitzer, and by conducting numerical simulations using major High Performance Computer facilities such as DiRAC.
i. studying high-energy and high-redshift explosive transients and how they relate to gravitational wave events
ii. investigating the growth and evolution of the first stars and black holes in galaxies
iii. determining the properties of accretion disks in active galactic nuclei
iv. measuring the fundamental properties of white dwarf stars, the remnants of stars like the Sun
v. investigating the properties of exoplanets, brown dwarfs and low mass stars
vi. determining the evolution of tidal disruption events in galaxies where stars are torn apart as they come close to a supermassive black
vii. investigating the origin of the stars seen in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy
viii. determining the structure of the Milky Way galaxy
ix. investigating the auroral emission of exoplanets
x. developing the concept of an intensity interferometry system for the Cherenkov Telescope Array to provide high-resolution images of cosmic objects
We will deliver this programme by carrying out observations using a broad range of ground and space based observing facilities, including XMM-Newton, HST, Swift, GAIA, JWST, ALMA, VLT, VISTA, WHT, INT, LT, NGTS, GOTO and Spitzer, and by conducting numerical simulations using major High Performance Computer facilities such as DiRAC.
Planned Impact
The applicants on the grant 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, and is a prime driver behind the £100M 'Space Park Leicester' concept.
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 Research and Enterprise Division, which works with academics and external stakeholders to create maximum impact in the local, 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 and maximised;
(3) to disseminate knowledge, skills and expertise 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.
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 Research and Enterprise Division, which works with academics and external stakeholders to create maximum impact in the local, 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 and maximised;
(3) to disseminate knowledge, skills and expertise 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.
Publications
Page K
(2019)
X-ray properties of two transient ULX candidates in galaxy NGC 7090
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chrimes A
(2022)
Where are the magnetar binary companions? Candidates from a comparison with binary population synthesis predictions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cerruti M
(2020)
Very high energy ?-ray emission from two blazars of unknown redshift and upper limits on their distance
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Melandri A
(2019)
Unveiling the enigma of ATLAS17aeu
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Panic O
(2020)
TW Hya: an old protoplanetary disc revived by its planet
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Killestein T
(2021)
Transient-optimized real-bogus classification with Bayesian convolutional neural networks - sifting the GOTO candidate stream
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Semczuk M
(2020)
Tidally induced warps of spiral galaxies in IllustrisTNG
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Semczuk M
(2020)
Tidally induced warps of spiral galaxies in IllustrisTNG
Selsing J
(2019)
The X-shooter GRB afterglow legacy sample (XS-GRB)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Amati L
(2021)
The THESEUS space mission: science goals, requirements and mission concept
in Experimental Astronomy
Melandri A
(2022)
The supernova of the MAGIC gamma-ray burst GRB 190114C
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Semczuk M
(2021)
The small boxy/peanut structure of the Milky Way traced by old stars
Semczuk M
(2022)
The small boxy/peanut structure of the Milky Way traced by old stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Birchall K
(2023)
The relationship between the incidence of X-ray selected AGN in nearby galaxies & star-formation rate
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nayakshin S.
(2020)
The paradox of youth for ALMA planet candidates
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nayakshin S
(2020)
The paradox of youth for ALMA planet candidates
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kangas T
(2020)
The Late-time Afterglow Evolution of Long Gamma-Ray Bursts GRB 160625B and GRB 160509A
in The Astrophysical Journal
Birchall K
(2022)
The incidence of X-ray selected AGN in nearby galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Winter A
(2022)
The growth and migration of massive planets under the influence of external photoevaporation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Steeghs D
(2022)
The Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO): prototype performance and prospects for transient science
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dyer M
(2020)
The Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO)
Tanvir N
(2019)
The fraction of ionizing radiation from massive stars that escapes to the intergalactic medium
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Levan A
(2023)
The First JWST Spectrum of a GRB Afterglow: No Bright Supernova in Observations of the Brightest GRB of all Time, GRB 221009A
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Hands T
(2019)
The fate of planetesimal discs in young open clusters: implications for 1I/'Oumuamua, the Kuiper belt, the Oort cloud, and more
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gompertz B
(2022)
The case for a minute-long merger-driven gamma-ray burst from fast-cooling synchrotron emission
in Nature Astronomy
Wiersema K
(2019)
The case for a high-redshift origin of GRB 100205A
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Abdalla H
(2019)
The 2014 TeV ?-Ray Flare of Mrk 501 Seen with H.E.S.S.: Temporal and Spectral Constraints on Lorentz Invariance Violation
in The Astrophysical Journal
Andreoni I
(2022)
Target-of-opportunity Observations of Gravitational-wave Events with Vera C. Rubin Observatory
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Rosati P
(2021)
Synergies of THESEUS with the large facilities of the 2030s and guest observer opportunities.
in Experimental astronomy
Klingler N
(2021)
Swift Multiwavelength Follow-up of LVC S200224ca and the Implications for Binary Black Hole Mergers
in The Astrophysical Journal
Evans P
(2016)
Swift follow-up of gravitational wave triggers: results from the first aLIGO run and optimization for the future
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Klingler N
(2019)
Swift -XRT Follow-up of Gravitational-wave Triggers in the Second Advanced LIGO/Virgo Observing Run
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Page K
(2020)
Swift -XRT follow-up of gravitational wave triggers during the third aLIGO/Virgo observing run
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Di Girolamo T
(2019)
Strategies for the Follow-up of Gravitational Wave Transients at Very High-Energy Gamma Rays with the Cherenkov Telescope Array
in Nuclear and Particle Physics Proceedings
Kundu S
(2022)
Stars Crushed by Black Holes. III. Mild Compression of Radiative Stars by Supermassive Black Holes
in The Astrophysical Journal
Higgins A
(2019)
SPLOT: a snapshot survey for polarized light in optical transients
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Semczuk M
(2022)
Spiral arms and the angular momentum gap in Milky Way Cepheids
Semczuk M
(2023)
Spiral arms and the angular momentum gap in Milky Way Cepheids
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Thomas M
(2022)
SkyHopper mission science case I: Identification of high redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts through space-based near-infrared afterglow observations
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Abdalla H
(2020)
Simultaneous observations of the blazar PKS 2155-304 from ultra-violet to TeV energies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Eyles-Ferris R
(2022)
Simulated optical light curves of super-Eddington tidal disruption events with ZEBRA flows
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Izzo L
(2019)
Signatures of a jet cocoon in early spectra of a supernova associated with a ?-ray burst.
in Nature
Nugent A
(2022)
Short GRB Host Galaxies. II. A Legacy Sample of Redshifts, Stellar Population Properties, and Implications for Their Neutron Star Merger Origins
in The Astrophysical Journal
Fong W
(2022)
Short GRB Host Galaxies. I. Photometric and Spectroscopic Catalogs, Host Associations, and Galactocentric Offsets
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lamb G
(2019)
Short GRB 160821B: A Reverse Shock, a Refreshed Shock, and a Well-sampled Kilonova
in The Astrophysical Journal
Abdalla H
(2021)
Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array for probing cosmology and fundamental physics with gamma-ray propagation
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Humphries J
(2021)
Searching for wide-orbit gravitational instability protoplanets with ALMA in the dust continuum
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Description | ENGRAVE |
Organisation | European Southern Observatory (ESO) |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Our Leicester team is part of a large international collaboration to use ESO telescopes and others, for follow-up of the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave events. Tanvir is a member of the governing council of ENGRAVE. |
Collaborator Contribution | The collaboration has over 250 members, who bring diverse expertise. In particular, real time duties are the responsibility of a core group of about 40 people currently. |
Impact | One paper submitted so far. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | STARGATE |
Organisation | European Southern Observatory (ESO) |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Tanvir is PI of a large collaboration whose goal is to obtain optical/nIR follow-up observations of gamma-ray bursts using ESO facilities. |
Collaborator Contribution | The collaboration consists of a (geographically spread) core group who trigger and analyse the rapid target-of-opportunity observations, plus a wider group who contribute to planning, interpretation and analysis for at least some of the specialised sub-projects. (the number of partner institutions in this sense is large and fluid, and they are not individually listed. Similarly the value of the in-kind contributions is not well defined; except for ESO for which the value recorded here is a rough estimate) |
Impact | About 15 papers written to date. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | VINROUGE |
Organisation | European Southern Observatory (ESO) |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Tanvir is PI of a large international collaboration dedicated to using the ESO VISTA telescope for follow-up observations of gravitational wave events. |
Collaborator Contribution | Other partners provide expertise on different aspects of our campaign. |
Impact | Two papers directly; several others enabled by the results. |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Astronomical Society (Knowle) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk to astronomical society |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Cardiff Astronomical Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk to society |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Cheltenham Science Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Panel discussion |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Interview for BBC series "Universe" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Gave wide ranging interview for the producers of the 2021 BBC series "Universe" introduced by Brian Cox. Some of the interview featured in the broadcast programme and some material was used to help script the main commentary. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Northants Natural History Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk to society |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Seminar at Goddard Space Flight Centre, USA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk to scientists and engineers at NASA |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Talk at NewScientist Live event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk at NewScientist Live event |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Talk to Cambridge University Astronomical Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Talk about gravitational waves and gamma-ray bursts |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Talk to Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talking on gravitational waves and gamma-ray bursts to amateur astronomy group: hybrid format, both in person and on-line audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |