Asteroseismology and Exoplanets at Birmingham and Queen Mary

It is a golden era for studies of stars and their exoplanets thanks to new telescope and 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; and have led to the discovery of thousands of new and diverse exoplanet systems.

Our programme of research here involves the asteroseismic exploitation of exquisite photometric data from the NASA TESS and Kepler missions. We will explore the evolution of stellar dynamos and near-surface magnetic activity in cool sub-giants and low-luminosity red giants, testing for example whether interactions of stars with nearby binary companions can affect the action of stellar dynamos. We will also use asteroseismology to age oscillating solar-type and red-giant stars that have very low-mass binary companions, providing key age diagnostics for understanding the evolution of activity in intrinsically faint stars. We will also develop and refine methods for inferring the fundamental properties of stars using asteroseismology.

We will use the SPECULOOS telescopes at the Paranal Observatory to search for Earth-sized planets orbiting small stars, and then use JWST we will study the planets' atmospheres to search for signatures of an active biosphere. In parallel, we will characterise a population of planets orbiting stars that peculiar chemical signatures, and establish whether this population is distinct from planets around Sun-like stars.

Outreach:

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

Through our Physics meets Art (PHYART@UOB) project (https://www.phyartuob.co.uk/) we are working with a cohort of artists and artistic companies as a novel way to communicate physics and to reach wider audiences, for example audiences who might usually only be interested in art, in new ways and settings. The artists employ sound, dance, opera, photography, and technology. This joint work communicates science and reaches audiences through performances, exhibitions, and the broadcast and print media.

We shall continue to develop strong links with the media, which have led to several recent appearances in broadcast and print, both nationally and internationally.

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.


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.