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
Dullo B
(2023)
LeMMINGs. VI. Connecting nuclear activity to bulge properties of active and inactive galaxies: radio scaling relations and galaxy environment
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Ruiter I
(2023)
Low-frequency radio observations of recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi with MeerKAT and LOFAR
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Summers J
(2023)
Magellanic System Stars Identified in SMACS J0723.3-7327 James Webb Space Telescope Early Release Observations Images
in The Astrophysical Journal
Dodge O
(2024)
Mass estimates from optical modelling of the new TRAPUM redback PSR J1910-5320
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Geyer M
(2023)
Mass measurements and 3D orbital geometry of PSR J1933-6211
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
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
Palla M
(2024)
Metal and dust evolution in ALMA REBELS galaxies: insights for future JWST observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Taylor A
(2024)
MIGHTEE polarization early science fields: the deep polarized sky
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
Whittam I
(2024)
MIGHTEE: Multi-wavelength counterparts in the COSMOS field
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Irfan M
(2024)
Mitigating the effect of 1/ f noise on the detection of the H i intensity mapping power spectrum from single-dish measurements
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zubeldia Í
(2023)
Mitigating the impact of the CIB on galaxy cluster SZ detection with spectrally constrained matched filters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vahdat A
(2024)
Multiwavelength Pulsations and Surface Temperature Distribution in the Middle-aged Pulsar B1055-52
in The Astrophysical Journal
Hagiwara Y
(2024)
Off-nuclear H2O maser and dense molecular gas in NGC 1068
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Aalto S
(2024)
OH megamaser emission in the outflow of the luminous infrared galaxy Zw049.057
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Trussler J
(2023)
On the observability and identification of Population III galaxies with JWST
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Agudo I
(2023)
Panning for gold, but finding helium: Discovery of the ultra-stripped supernova SN 2019wxt from gravitational-wave follow-up observations
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gordovskyy M
(2023)
Particle Acceleration and Their Escape into the Heliosphere in Solar Flares with Open Magnetic Field
in The Astrophysical Journal
Carleton T
(2024)
PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance of 30 Mpc
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Willner S
(2023)
PEARLS: JWST Counterparts of Microjansky Radio Sources in the Time Domain Field
in The Astrophysical Journal
Carleton T
(2023)
PEARLS: Low Stellar Density Galaxies in the El Gordo Cluster Observed with JWST
in The Astrophysical Journal
Willmer C
(2023)
PEARLS: Near-infrared Photometry in the JWST North Ecliptic Pole Time Domain Field*
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Battye R
(2023)
Pinching instabilities in superconducting cosmic strings
in Physical Review D
Böckmann K
(2023)
Probing magnetic fields in the circumgalactic medium using polarization data from MIGHTEE
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Van Der Wateren E
(2024)
PSR J0210+5845: Ultra-wide binary pulsar with a B6 V main sequence star companion
in Astronomy & Astrophysics