Asteroseismology and Helioseismology at Birmingham and Queen Mary

It is a golden era for studies of the Sun, stars, and their
exoplanets, thanks in particular to new satellite observations of
unprecedented quality and scope. These data are making it possible to
investigate large numbers of stars using asteroseismology, the study
of stars by observation and analysis of their intrinsic oscillations.

Significant uncertainties in our understanding of stars (including the
Sun) have a direct impact on wider areas of astronomy, e.g.,
calibration of distances on extra-galactic scales, fixing the ages of
the oldest stellar populations (which place tight constraints on
cosmologies), and tracing the chemical evolution of
galaxies. State-of-the-art studies of stars are also crucial to a
complete understanding of the formation and evolution of exoplanetary
systems, and inferences made on stars from asteroseismology allow
direct constraints to be placed on exoplanet properties (e.g., sizes,
locations in habitable zones, ages etc.). Stars are the visible
building-blocks of the Universe and the nearest star to us, the Sun,
is vital to life on Earth. The internal mechanisms responsible for
solar activity, and its variability, lie at one end of the chain
stretching from the Sun to the Earth. Variability of the Sun remains
poorly understood. The Sun also plays the role of a fundamental
calibrator, and reference, for different areas of stellar structure
and stellar evolution theory. Hence, elucidating the details of its
structure and dynamics is key, not only in the context of
understanding the Sun, but also other stars.

This research programme is a consortium comprised of the stellar
groups at the University of Birmingham (UoB) and Queen Mary,
University of London (QMUL). It brings together world-leading
expertise from UoB and QMUL in a programme of asteroseismology and
helioseismology research that spans the disciplines of data
collection, data analysis and theoretical modelling as applied to the
Sun and solar-type and red-giant stars, including the characterisation
of the properties and dynamics of newly discovered exoplanet systems

The programme will make use of state-of-the-art data from the NASA
Kepler Mission and the French-led CoRoT satellite. In studies of the
Sun, UoB will continue to run the Birmingham Solar-Oscillations
Network (BiSON). We shall use these and other world-leading
helioseismic datasets to focus on the recent observed changes in
behaviour of the active Sun, which are taking the Sun back to lower
levels of activity not seen for almost 100 years.

Outreach:

- We will reach the audience of schools and the general public by
organised outreach activity, publicity, talks, exhibitions, articles
in popular publications, radio and (when possible) television
appearances;

- We shall continue to develop strong links with the media, which have
led to several recent appearences in broadcast and print media (e.g.,
BBC Radio, Guardian, The Sun); and interact closely with NASA (for
Kepler-related press) and the French Space Agency (CNES) (for
CoRoT-related press);

- We engage regularly in outreach activities (including talks) for
schools and astronomical societies (we are on lists of speakers
maintained by the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of
Physics). These activities will be coordinated with Schools and
outreach liaison specialists at UoB and QMUL.


Knowledge exchange:

- Our strategy is to remain alert to KE opportunities, using
the well-developed knowledge exchange infrastructures at UoB and
QMUL. We shall be alert to opportunities for interdisciplinary
research opportunities.

- We shall provide skilled, well-trained students and PDRAs (with
excellent transferable skills) for the academic community and
non-academic professional sectors. This includes training of young
scientists as part of major international collaborations led by the
applicants (i.e., as formally recognised structures within
collaborations); and UK-wide training of PhD students (e.g.,
involvement in lecturing and organising graduate summer schools,
including STFC Schools).

- There is also knowledge transfer to the astronomy community, i.e.,
the solar/stellar and exoplanet communities and the wider astronomy
community (where our work has relevance in galactic, extra-galactic
and cosmology studies). This will be achieved by publications in
refereed journals (including high-impact, non-specialist journals like
Science, Nature and Publications of the National Academy of Sciences);
and seminars and talks to a wide professional audience, including the
general astronomical community and the solar and stellar physics
communities.