Astrophysics at Keele: the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets
Lead Research Organisation:
Keele University
Department Name: Faculty of Natural Sciences
Abstract
In understanding our place in the universe we need to know how many planets there are, how planetary systems form and evolve, and how many of them are like our Solar System, possibly harbouring life. The best way of studying planets is to find the ones that pass in front of ("transit") their star. By looking for the tiny dips in a star's light caused by a transiting planet, Keele's WASP-South survey has found more transiting planets than anyone else in the Southern hemisphere, and is using them to answer questions about how planetary systems form.
Planets form around young stars, and star and planet formation are intimately connected. Keele will process the data from a very large survey of young stars and clusters of stars, using spectra obtained by ESO's Very Large Telescope, to combine with the unprecedented astrometry soon to be obtained by ESA's Gaia mission. The combination will provide the biggest survey yet of how stars and stellar clusters form and evolve.
The two Magellanic Clouds are the two galaxies closest to our own, so close that they interact with our galaxy, providing an excellent opportunity to study how galaxies affect each other, with collisions and mergers thought to be important factors in explaining galaxies today. Keele's role in the new-generation radio survey of the Magellanic Clouds provided by the GASKAP project will provide the most detailed yet picture of the dynamics and interactions of our Milky way with these two satellite galaxies.
At the cores of galaxies, supermassive black holes can grow by sucking in material from their surroundings. It is now realised that powerful winds generated by the swirling around a black hole can both regulate the growth of the black hole and affect the future evolution of the whole galaxy. A Keele-led program using the latest X-ray satellites studies the X-ray emission generated by the extreme gravity of the black hole to study the black-hole winds and their affect on their environment.
Planets form around young stars, and star and planet formation are intimately connected. Keele will process the data from a very large survey of young stars and clusters of stars, using spectra obtained by ESO's Very Large Telescope, to combine with the unprecedented astrometry soon to be obtained by ESA's Gaia mission. The combination will provide the biggest survey yet of how stars and stellar clusters form and evolve.
The two Magellanic Clouds are the two galaxies closest to our own, so close that they interact with our galaxy, providing an excellent opportunity to study how galaxies affect each other, with collisions and mergers thought to be important factors in explaining galaxies today. Keele's role in the new-generation radio survey of the Magellanic Clouds provided by the GASKAP project will provide the most detailed yet picture of the dynamics and interactions of our Milky way with these two satellite galaxies.
At the cores of galaxies, supermassive black holes can grow by sucking in material from their surroundings. It is now realised that powerful winds generated by the swirling around a black hole can both regulate the growth of the black hole and affect the future evolution of the whole galaxy. A Keele-led program using the latest X-ray satellites studies the X-ray emission generated by the extreme gravity of the black hole to study the black-hole winds and their affect on their environment.
Planned Impact
The astrophysics group has a vigorous outreach programme, which benefits from the networks provided by Keele's Widening Participation Division and Science Learning Centre West Midlands and provides benefit to the general public, school children (particularly in the 11-18 age range) and their teachers. We actively enthuse school children, their teachers and the public about STFC science by: taking a planetarium into schools; operating the well-equipped Keele observatory, encouraging both public access and visits from schools; providing adult education classes focused on our research topics; and organising well-attended teacher-training workshops.
In the next grant period we are planning major enhancements to our planetarium activities. We will upgrade its projector system, transforming it into an "exoplanetarium"; develop new planetarium resources based on our exoplanetary and stellar research , which will be widely and freely disseminated to a worldwide open-source planetarium software community; train a chort of undergraduate "Science Mentors" and astrophysics postgraduates to deliver outreach; and take the exoplanetarium into about 30 schools per year, interacting with more than 5000 pupils and their teachers. Our aims are to inspire more children (and their teachers), from an area with a traditionally low HE participation rate, to think about University and science at University level, hence promoting their economic well-being, and showcasing our STFC-funded research.
Book, magazine and newspaper publishers, blog writers and science news websites have all benefited from several press releases and interviews by members of the Keele astrophysics group in recent years. These media events are the result of major discoveries in the areas of star formation, massive stars and exoplanets. Keele will continue to announce major discoveries throughout the forthcoming grant period.
We are developing links with local industry. A Stoke-based SME, who manufacture parts for NASA and ESA astrophysics missions, will be sponsoring an undergraduate Astrophysics prize at Keele and providing careers advice; we in turn will benefit them by assisting them with their public relations and website.
In the next grant period we are planning major enhancements to our planetarium activities. We will upgrade its projector system, transforming it into an "exoplanetarium"; develop new planetarium resources based on our exoplanetary and stellar research , which will be widely and freely disseminated to a worldwide open-source planetarium software community; train a chort of undergraduate "Science Mentors" and astrophysics postgraduates to deliver outreach; and take the exoplanetarium into about 30 schools per year, interacting with more than 5000 pupils and their teachers. Our aims are to inspire more children (and their teachers), from an area with a traditionally low HE participation rate, to think about University and science at University level, hence promoting their economic well-being, and showcasing our STFC-funded research.
Book, magazine and newspaper publishers, blog writers and science news websites have all benefited from several press releases and interviews by members of the Keele astrophysics group in recent years. These media events are the result of major discoveries in the areas of star formation, massive stars and exoplanets. Keele will continue to announce major discoveries throughout the forthcoming grant period.
We are developing links with local industry. A Stoke-based SME, who manufacture parts for NASA and ESA astrophysics missions, will be sponsoring an undergraduate Astrophysics prize at Keele and providing careers advice; we in turn will benefit them by assisting them with their public relations and website.
Organisations
Publications
Adams J
(2013)
DUSTY OB STARS IN THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD. II. EXTRAGALACTIC DISKS OR EXAMPLES OF THE PLEIADES PHENOMENON?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Allen T
(2012)
SPITZER IMAGING OF THE NEARBY RICH YOUNG CLUSTER, Cep OB3b
in The Astrophysical Journal
Anderson D
(2012)
WASP-44b, WASP-45b and WASP-46b: three short-period, transiting extrasolar planets WASP-44b, WASP-45b and WASP-46b
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Anderson D
(2013)
Thermal emission at 3.6-8 µm from WASP-19b: a hot Jupiter without a stratosphere orbiting an active star
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Anderson D. R.
(2017)
The discoveries of WASP-91b, WASP-105b and WASP-107b: two warm Jupiters and a planet in the transition region between ice giants and gas giants
in ArXiv e-prints
Avelino P
(2012)
Assessing the viability of successful reconstruction of the dynamics of dark energy using varying fundamental couplings
in Physics Letters B
Bachelet E
(2012)
A brown dwarf orbiting an M-dwarf: MOA 2009-BLG-411L
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Bachelet E
(2012)
MOA 2010-BLG-477Lb: CONSTRAINING THE MASS OF A MICROLENSING PLANET FROM MICROLENSING PARALLAX, ORBITAL MOTION, AND DETECTION OF BLENDED LIGHT
in The Astrophysical Journal
Balona L
(2012)
Kepler observations of the high-amplitude d Scuti star V2367 Cyg Kepler observations of V2367 Cyg
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barros S
(2016)
WASP-113b and WASP-114b, two inflated hot Jupiters with contrasting densities
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Battino U
(2016)
APPLICATION OF A THEORY AND SIMULATION-BASED CONVECTIVE BOUNDARY MIXING MODEL FOR AGB STAR EVOLUTION AND NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bell C
(2012)
Pre-main-sequence isochrones - I. The Pleiades benchmark The Pleiades benchmark
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bell C
(2013)
Pre-main-sequence isochrones - II. Revising star and planet formation time-scales
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bennett M
(2012)
The effect of 12C +12C rate uncertainties on the evolution and nucleosynthesis of massive stars The effect of 12C +12C rate uncertainties
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Binks A
(2013)
A lithium depletion boundary age of 21 Myr for the Beta Pictoris moving group
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Blecic J
(2013)
THERMAL EMISSION OF WASP-14b REVEALED WITH THREE SPITZER ECLIPSES
in The Astrophysical Journal
Blecic J
(2014)
SPITZER OBSERVATIONS OF THE THERMAL EMISSION FROM WASP-43b
in The Astrophysical Journal
Boyer M
(2012)
THE DUST BUDGET OF THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD: ARE ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH STARS THE PRIMARY DUST SOURCE AT LOW METALLICITY?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Boyer M
(2012)
ERRATUM: "SURVEYING THE AGENTS OF GALAXY EVOLUTION IN THE TIDALLY STRIPPED, LOW-METALLICITY SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD (SAGE-SMC). II. COOL EVOLVED STARS" (2011, AJ, 142, 103)
in The Astronomical Journal
Bozza V
(2012)
OGLE-2008-BLG-510: first automated real-time detection of a weak microlensing anomaly - brown dwarf or stellar binary?? OGLE-2008-BLG-510 - weak microlensing anomaly
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Braito V
(2013)
Decoupling absorption and continuum variability in the Seyfert 2 NGC 4507
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Braito Valentina
(2017)
A high spectral resolution map of the nuclear emitting regions of NGC 7582
in ArXiv e-prints
Brown D
(2012)
ANALYSIS OF SPIN-ORBIT ALIGNMENT IN THE WASP-32, WASP-38, AND HAT-P-27/WASP-40 SYSTEMS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Brown D
(2012)
Rossiter-McLaughlin effect measurements for WASP-16, WASP-25 and WASP-31? The alignment of WASP-16, WASP-25 and WASP-31
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Brown D
(2017)
Rossiter-McLaughlin models and their effect on estimates of stellar rotation, illustrated using six WASP systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bruntt H
(2012)
Accurate fundamental parameters and detailed abundance patterns from spectroscopy of 93 solar-type Kepler targets?† Parameters of solar-type Kepler targets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cescutti G
(2013)
The s -process in the Galactic halo: the fifth signature of spinstars in the early Universe?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Choi J
(2012)
A NEW TYPE OF AMBIGUITY IN THE PLANET AND BINARY INTERPRETATIONS OF CENTRAL PERTURBATIONS OF HIGH-MAGNIFICATION GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENTS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Choi J
(2012)
CHARACTERIZING LENSES AND LENSED STARS OF HIGH-MAGNIFICATION SINGLE-LENS GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENTS WITH LENSES PASSING OVER SOURCE STARS
in The Astrophysical Journal
Choplin A
(2016)
Clues on the first stars from CEMP-no stars
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Choplin Arthur
(2016)
Nucleosynthesis in the first massive stars
in arXiv e-prints
Cioni M
(2014)
The VMC survey IX. Pilot study of the proper motion of stellar populations in the LMC from 2MASS and VISTA data???
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cioni M
(2012)
The VMC Survey VI. Quasars behind the Magellanic system?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cioni M
(2013)
The Magellanic Clouds as a Template for the Study of Stellar Populations and Galaxy Interactions
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Clark B
(2018)
Thermal emission of WASP-48b in the K s -band
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Clark B
(2018)
An Analysis of Transiting Hot Jupiters Observed with K2: WASP-55b and WASP-75b
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Cristini Andrea
(2016)
3D Hydrodynamic Simulations of Carbon Burning in Massive Stars
in ArXiv e-prints
Da Rio N
(2014)
Strong biases in estimating the time dependence of mass accretion rates in young stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
David T
(2017)
A Transient Transit Signature Associated with the Young Star RIK-210
in The Astrophysical Journal
Deca J
(2012)
PG 1018-047: the longest period subdwarf B binary PG 1018-047: the longest period sdB binary
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Delrez L
(2016)
WASP-121 b: a hot Jupiter close to tidal disruption transiting an active F star
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dickey J
(2013)
GASKAP-The Galactic ASKAP Survey
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Doran E
(2013)
The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey XI. A census of the hot luminous stars and their feedback in 30 Doradus
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Doyle A
(2013)
Accurate spectroscopic parameters of WASP planet host stars?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Eggenberger P.
(2016)
Constraining the efficiency of angular momentum transport with asteroseismology of red giants: the effect of stellar mass
in ArXiv e-prints
Ekström S
(2012)
Grids of stellar models with rotation I. Models from 0.8 to 120 M ? at solar metallicity ( Z = 0.014)?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Evans A
(2012)
Infrared observations of the recurrent nova T Pyxidis: ancient dust basks in the warm glow of the 2011 outburst? IR observations of T Pyx
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Evans A
(2012)
Solid-phase C60 in the peculiar binary XX Oph? C60 in XX Oph
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Description | Lots and lots of them |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | We have particpated in dozens and dozens of such activites. Lots. We have about dozens and dozens of such feedbacks. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014 |