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
Jones G
(2024)
GA-NIFS: JWST/NIRSpec integral field unit observations of HFLS3 reveal a dense galaxy group at z ~ 6.3
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Altamura E
(2023)
Galaxy cluster rotation revealed in the MACSIS simulations with the kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zubeldia Í
(2023)
Galaxy cluster SZ detection with unbiased noise estimation: an iterative approach
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bluck A
(2024)
Galaxy Quenching at the High Redshift Frontier: A Fundamental Test of Cosmological Models in the Early Universe with JWST-CEERS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Patel M
(2023)
GRB 201015A and the nature of low-luminosity soft gamma-ray bursts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Belkin S
(2024)
GRB 230911A: The First Discovery of a Fermi GRB Optical Counterpart with the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO)
in Research Notes of the AAS
Smail I
(2023)
Hidden Giants in JWST's PEARLS: An Ultramassive z = 4.26 Submillimeter Galaxy that Is Invisible to HST
in The Astrophysical Journal
Aafreen R
(2023)
High-performance computing for SKA transient search: Use of FPGA-based accelerators
in Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy
Bradley L
(2023)
High-redshift Galaxy Candidates at z = 9-10 as Revealed by JWST Observations of WHL0137-08
in The Astrophysical Journal
Keith M
(2023)
Impact of quasi-periodic and steep-spectrum timing noise on the measurement of pulsar timing parameters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Abdurashidova T
(2023)
Improved Constraints on the 21 cm EoR Power Spectrum and the X-Ray Heating of the IGM with HERA Phase I Observations
in The Astrophysical Journal
Towler I
(2024)
Inferring the dark matter splashback radius from cluster gas and observable profiles in the FLAMINGO simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zabelle B
(2023)
Investigating the Dominant Environmental Quenching Process in UVCANDELS/COSMOS Groups
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bhat S
(2023)
Investigation of a Machine learning methodology for the SKA pulsar search pipeline
in Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy
Bunker A
(2023)
JADES NIRSpec Spectroscopy of GN-z11: Lyman- a emission and possible enhanced nitrogen abundance in a z = 10.60 luminous galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Saxena A
(2023)
JADES: Discovery of extremely high equivalent width Lyman- a emission from a faint galaxy within an ionized bubble at z = 7.3
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cameron A
(2023)
JADES: Probing interstellar medium conditions at z ~ 5.5-9.5 with ultra-deep JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Tacchella S
(2023)
JWST NIRCam + NIRSpec: interstellar medium and stellar populations of young galaxies with rising star formation and evolving gas reservoirs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hsiao T
(2023)
JWST Reveals a Possible z ~ 11 Galaxy Merger in Triply Lensed MACS0647-JD
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Diego J
(2023)
JWST's PEARLS: A new lens model for ACT-CL J0102-4915, "El Gordo," and the first red supergiant star at cosmological distances discovered by JWST
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Keel W
(2023)
JWST's PEARLS: Dust Attenuation and Gravitational Lensing in the Backlit-galaxy System VV 191
in The Astronomical Journal
Ma Z
(2024)
JWST's PEARLS: Improved Flux Calibration for NIRCam
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Diego J
(2023)
JWST's PEARLS: Mothra, a new kaiju star at z = 2.091 extremely magnified by MACS0416, and implications for dark matter models
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Duncan K
(2023)
JWST's PEARLS: TN J1338-1942 - I. Extreme jet-triggered star formation in a z = 4.11 luminous radio galaxy
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yan H
(2023)
JWST's PEARLS: Transients in the MACS J0416.1-2403 Field
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series