Astrophysics and Cosmology Research at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics 2023-2026
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.
Pulsars and Time Domain Astrophysics: The focus of this group is astrophysical signatures that are changing with time - signals which go on and off, often with some kind of regularity. These include Pulsars which are a non-standard star type, 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.
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.
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.
Pulsars and Time Domain Astrophysics: The focus of this group is astrophysical signatures that are changing with time - signals which go on and off, often with some kind of regularity. These include Pulsars which are a non-standard star type, 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.
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.
Organisations
Publications
Patel M
(2023)
GRB 201015A and the nature of low-luminosity soft gamma-ray bursts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pan H
(2023)
MIGHTEE-H i : the M H i - M * relation over the last billion years
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Palla M
(2024)
Metal and dust evolution in ALMA REBELS galaxies: insights for future JWST observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Padmanabh P
(2023)
The MPIfR-MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey - I. System set-up and early results
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ormerod K
(2024)
EPOCHS VI: the size and shape evolution of galaxies since z ~ 8 with JWST Observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Oppizzi F
(2023)
CHEX-MATE: Pressure profiles of six galaxy clusters as seen by SPT and Planck
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Njeri A
(2024)
The VLBA CANDELS GOODS-North Survey. II - Wide-field source catalogue comparison between the VLBA, EVN, e -MERLIN, and VLA
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nabizadeh A
(2024)
A search for high-redshift direct-collapse black hole candidates in the PEARLS north ecliptic pole field
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mutie I
(2024)
Radio jets in NGC 1068 with e -MERLIN and VLA: structure and morphology
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Motta S
(2023)
MeerKAT caught a Mini Mouse: serendipitous detection of a young radio pulsar escaping its birth site
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Montargès M
(2023)
The VLT/SPHERE view of the ATOMIUM cool evolved star sample I. Overview: Sample characterization through polarization analysis
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mohammadian B
(2023)
The Impact of Surface Passivation on Kapitza Resistance at the Interface Between a Semiconductor and Liquid Nitrogen
in Journal of Low Temperature Physics
Mehta V
(2023)
A Spatially Resolved Analysis of Star Formation Burstiness by Comparing UV and Ha in Galaxies at z ~ 1 with UVCANDELS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Martin A
(2023)
UV-bright Star-forming Clumps and Their Host Galaxies in UVCANDELS at 0.5 = z = 1
in The Astrophysical Journal
Main R
(2023)
Variable scintillation arcs of millisecond pulsars observed with the Large European Array for Pulsars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ma Z
(2024)
JWST's PEARLS: Improved Flux Calibration for NIRCam
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
López-Caraballo C
(2024)
QUIJOTE scientific results - XIII. Intensity and polarization study of the microwave spectra of supernova remnants in the QUIJOTE-MFI wide survey: CTB 80, Cygnus Loop, HB 21, CTA 1, Tycho, and HB 9
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lower M
(2024)
A MeerKAT view of the double pulsar eclipses Geodetic precession of pulsar B and system geometry
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lower M
(2023)
Rotational and radio emission properties of PSR J0738-4042 over half a century
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lovisari L
(2024)
CHEX-MATE: Characterization of the intra-cluster medium temperature distribution
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Li Y
(2023)
FAST Drift Scan Survey for Hi Intensity Mapping: I. Preliminary Data Analysis
in The Astrophysical Journal
Li Q
(2023)
SCUBA-2 High Redshift Bright Quasar Survey. II. The Environment of z ~ 6 Quasars at Submillimeter Band
in The Astrophysical Journal
Levan A
(2023)
A long-duration gamma-ray burst of dynamical origin from the nucleus of an ancient galaxy
in Nature Astronomy
Kumari S
(2024)
First Systematic Study Reporting the Changes in Eclipse Cutoff Frequency for Pulsar J1544+4937
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kramer M
(2023)
Quasi-periodic sub-pulse structure as a unifying feature for radio-emitting neutron stars
in Nature Astronomy