A consolidated grant for Sheffield Astrophysics 2018-2021
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The aim of this proposal is to support a programme of internationally excellent research in astrophysics at Sheffield, building on our recent research achievements, and tied to the exploitation of leading international facilities supported by STFC and UKSA.
Planned Impact
The main ways in which our research makes an impact outside the academic community is via our knowledge exchange and outreach activities. To summarise:
1. Knowledge exchange. This is primarily based on the building of the ULTRACAM and HiPERCAM instruments, which has lead to the development of new new CCD detector, data acquisition and cooling systems, as well as stimulating a project to develop new techniques to use 3D printing build rigid, lightweight support structure for astronomical instruments.
2. Outreach. Over the last 5 years members of the Sheffield astrophsyics group have delivered 126 talks to schools and astronomical societies, have held 70 in-house workshops for school students, and been involved in 15 press releases, all based on their research activities.
Details are given in our Impact Plan that is included as an attachment.
1. Knowledge exchange. This is primarily based on the building of the ULTRACAM and HiPERCAM instruments, which has lead to the development of new new CCD detector, data acquisition and cooling systems, as well as stimulating a project to develop new techniques to use 3D printing build rigid, lightweight support structure for astronomical instruments.
2. Outreach. Over the last 5 years members of the Sheffield astrophsyics group have delivered 126 talks to schools and astronomical societies, have held 70 in-house workshops for school students, and been involved in 15 press releases, all based on their research activities.
Details are given in our Impact Plan that is included as an attachment.
Organisations
Publications
Grimmett L
(2019)
Revealing the differences in the SMBH accretion rate distributions of starburst and non-starburst galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Maund J
(2019)
RINGO3 polarimetry of the Type I superluminous SN 2017egm
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Romualdez L
(2020)
Robust diffraction-limited near-infrared-to-near-ultraviolet wide-field imaging from stratospheric balloon-borne platforms-Super-pressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope performance
in Review of Scientific Instruments
Borisov G
(2018)
Rotational variation of the linear polarization of the asteroid (3200) Phaethon as evidence for inhomogeneity in its surface properties
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Gompertz B
(2020)
Searching for electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational-wave merger events with the prototype Gravitational-Wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO-4)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lata S
(2019)
Short-period Variable Stars in Young Open Cluster Stock 8
in The Astronomical Journal
Götberg Y
(2018)
Spectral models for binary products: Unifying subdwarfs and Wolf-Rayet stars as a sequence of stripped-envelope stars
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Wild J
(2020)
Spectroscopic and photometric periods of six ultracompact accreting binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Higgins A
(2019)
SPLOT: a snapshot survey for polarized light in optical transients
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cikota A
(2018)
Testing the magnetar scenario for superluminous supernovae with circular polarimetry
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| Description | The award was used to fund a wide range of research that led to substantial progress in (a) understanding the links between the evolution actively accreting black holes and their host galaxies via far-IR observations taken with the Herschel satellite; (b) the way in which the most massive stars explode at the ends of their lives and the environments in which they do so; (c) the time variability of a range of astrophysical objects, and in particular compact stellar remnants. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes can and have been used to inform future research projects and applications for observing time on highly-oversubscribed observing facilities. |
| Sectors | Education Other |
| Description | The findings have been used to inform a variety of outreach activities, including talks to schools and amateur astronomy societies socities, as well as public lectures. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Title | Parameters of 15 Cataclysmic Variables |
| Description | VizieR online Data Catalogue associated with article published in journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society with title ' The evolutionary status of Cataclysmic Variables: eclipse modelling of 15 systems.' (bibcode: 2019MNRAS.486.5535M) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/MNRAS/486/5535 |