Research in Theoretical Astronomy 2009-2014
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
The Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, is one of the worlds leading research Institutes in Astronomy. It comprises 19 academic staff, 51 postdoctoral research assistants and 52 PhD students, about half of whom work on theoretical astronomy. This grant application is asking for a renewal of the main theoretical rolling grant at the IoA. Over the next five years we will pursue a broad range of theoretical research on the following problems: (i) The Planck satellite is a third generation space satellite dedicated to measuring the temperature and polarization anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. Planck is scheduled for launch at the end of 2008, some 15 years after it was first proposed to ESA. The years covered by the grant coincide with the peak period for the scientific exploitation of this satellite. PDRA support is requested to work with the Co-Investigators on core science projects. In particular, we are responsible for leading the key analysis of cosmological parameters from Planck and wish to investigate constraints on models of cosmic inflation. Cambridge has a leading role in the Clover polarization experiment and we wish to involve PDRAs in the scientific interpretation of that experiment. (ii) The cosmic microwave background radiation provides us with a picture of the Universe when it was 400,000 years old. At that time, the Universe was filled with a near uniform mixture of hydrogen , helium, dark matter and radiation. We will investigate how the first non-linear structures emerged from this stochastic background. Over the grant period the main emphasis of the research will be to perform hydrodynamic simulations including radiative transfer to model the thermal state of the intergalactic medium and spatially extended Lyalpha emission. We will also extend previous work on the matter power spectrum from the Ly alpha forest to constrain neutrino masses, in combination with data from Planck. (iii) The discovery of large numbers of extrasolar planets has led to enormous interest in theoretical work on the formation of planets. Over the grant period we will pursue a research programme building on expertise in protoplanetary and debris disk evolution. The work will be centred on linking the protoplanetary phase, when discs were gas rich and possible sites of ongoing gaseous planet formation, through to the debris disc phase, when discs were gas poor, dusty structures, with planetesimal bels as possible sites for terrestrial planet formation. (iv) Accretion discs are present in a wide variety of astronomical systems . In particular, accretion onto compact objects such as black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs produce observational signatures that provide the main scientific justification for X-ray satellites and gravitational wave detectors. Magnetic fields are central to understanding the evolution of accretion discs. We will perform state-of-the-art numerical simulations of magnetised accretion discs to understand their role in accretion disc dynamics and to compute observational signatures. (v) Understanding stellar evolution is essential for the interpretation of all astrophysical systems, from stars in our own Galaxy to the formation of the first non-linear structures in the Universe. Over the next five years we will develop improved models of massive stars as the progenitors of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. We will also develop fully three-dimensional numerical models of stellar evolution in binary systems, in collaboration with colleagues at Livermore. (vi) Finally, we will pursue two research themes to understand feedback processes in the cores of clusters of galaxies. We will investigate the physics of `emission line filaments', which are still not understood and we will use large numerical simulations to assess the impact of baryonic physics on the use of clusters as cosmological probes (e.g. testing the nature of dark energy.
Organisations
Publications
Booth M
(2009)
The history of the Solar system's debris disc: observable properties of the Kuiper belt
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sollom I
(2009)
Cold dark matter isocurvature perturbations: Constraints and model selection
in Physical Review D
Mustill A
(2009)
Debris disc stirring by secular perturbations from giant planets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Martin R
(2009)
The shape of an accretion disc in a misaligned black hole binary
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lau H
(2009)
The evolution of low-metallicity asymptotic giant branch stars and the formation of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Church R
(2009)
Mass transfer in eccentric binaries: the new oil-on-water smoothed particle hydrodynamics technique
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bryden G
(2009)
PLANETS AND DEBRIS DISKS: RESULTS FROM A SPITZER /MIPS SEARCH FOR INFRARED EXCESS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Barnes L
(2009)
A joint model for the emission and absorption properties of damped Lya absorption systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Eldridge J
(2009)
A new-age determination for ?2 Velorum from binary stellar evolution models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Ferrario L
(2009)
The origin of magnetism on the upper main sequence
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Viel M
(2009)
Cosmological and astrophysical constraints from the Lyman a forest flux probability distribution function
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Wickramasinghe D
(2009)
Accretion induced collapse of white dwarfs in binary systems and their observational properties
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Raymond S
(2009)
PLANET-PLANET SCATTERING LEADS TO TIGHTLY PACKED PLANETARY SYSTEMS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Greaves J
(2009)
Debris discs around nearby solar analogues
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wright J
(2009)
A THIRD GIANT PLANET ORBITING HIP 14810
in The Astrophysical Journal
Moeckel N
(2009)
Does subcluster merging accelerate mass segregation in local clusters?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Stancliffe R
(2009)
Modelling the binary progenitor of Supernova 1993J
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ercolano B
(2009)
X-RAY IRRADIATED PROTOPLANETARY DISK ATMOSPHERES. II. PREDICTIONS FROM MODELS IN HYDROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Beckwith K
(2009)
TRANSPORT OF LARGE-SCALE POLOIDAL FLUX IN BLACK HOLE ACCRETION
in The Astrophysical Journal
Clarke C
(2009)
Limits on the location of planetesimal formation in self-gravitating protostellar discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Brown M
(2009)
Impact of modulation on CMB B -mode polarization experiments
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lestrade J
(2009)
Search for cold debris disks around M-dwarfs. II
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kennedy G
(2009)
STELLAR MASS DEPENDENT DISK DISPERSAL
in The Astrophysical Journal
Veras D
(2009)
FORMATION, SURVIVAL, AND DETECTABILITY OF PLANETS BEYOND 100 AU
in The Astrophysical Journal
Smartt S
(2009)
The death of massive stars - I. Observational constraints on the progenitors of Type II-P supernovae
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hanson D
(2009)
CMB lensing and primordial non-Gaussianity
in Physical Review D
Dodson-Robinson S
(2009)
THE FORMATION MECHANISM OF GAS GIANTS ON WIDE ORBITS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Regan J
(2009)
Pathways to massive black holes and compact star clusters in pre-galactic dark matter haloes with virial temperatures ?10 000 K
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Martin R
(2009)
Supernova kicks and misaligned Be star binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Eldridge J
(2009)
Spectral population synthesis including massive binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Payne M
(2009)
Outward migration of terrestrial embryos in binary systems Terrestrial embryo migration around binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lisse C
(2009)
ABUNDANT CIRCUMSTELLAR SILICA DUST AND SiO GAS CREATED BY A GIANT HYPERVELOCITY COLLISION IN THE ~12 MYR HD172555 SYSTEM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Efstathiou G
(2009)
B-mode detection with an extended planck mission
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Efstathiou G
(2009)
Impact of Galactic polarized emission on B -mode detection at low multipoles
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Clarke C
(2009)
Pseudo-viscous modelling of self-gravitating discs and the formation of low mass ratio binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Clarke C
(2009)
The initial mass function in clusters: theoretical and observational perspectives
in Astrophysics and Space Science
Sijacki D
(2009)
Growing the first bright quasars in cosmological simulations of structure formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Choudhury T
(2009)
Inside-out or outside-in: the topology of reionization in the photon-starved regime suggested by Lya forest data
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Moeckel N
(2009)
BONDI-HOYLE-LYTTLETON ACCRETION ONTO A PROTOPLANETARY DISK
in The Astrophysical Journal
Smith R
(2009)
Resolving the hot dust around HD69830 and ? Corvi with MIDI and VISIR
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Moeckel N
(2009)
Limits on initial mass segregation in young clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hanson D
(2010)
Weak lensing of the CMB
in General Relativity and Gravitation
Efstathiou G
(2010)
Large-angle correlations in the cosmic microwave background Large-angle correlations of the CMB
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hurley J
(2010)
Formation of binary millisecond pulsars by accretion-induced collapse of white dwarfs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wickramasinghe D
(2010)
Does GD 356 have a terrestrial planetary companion?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kotarba H
(2010)
SIMULATING MAGNETIC FIELDS IN THE ANTENNAE GALAXIES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Engel H
(2010)
NGC 6240: merger-induced star formation and gas dynamics
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Owen J
(2010)
Radiation-hydrodynamic models of X-ray and EUV photoevaporating protoplanetary discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hinkley S
(2010)
DISCOVERY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A FAINT STELLAR COMPANION TO THE A3V STAR ? VIRGINIS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lamarre J
(2010)
Planck pre-launch status: The HFI instrument, from specification to actual performance
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
| Description | Fundamental contributions to a wide range of problems in theoretical astronomy |
| Exploitation Route | Via publication in academic journals |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Other |