Astrophysics at the University of Hull

Project Description

Poposed research is divided into six projects; their respective objectives are listed below in no particular order, given their equal importance to the Centre's research portfolio. The goals within each project are presented in order of priority.

1. To undertake an unprecedented chemo-dynamical simulation of the Universe, as part of the Horizon Run (HR5) consortium. Data mining this rich resource will see our focus placed on achieving the following goals: (i) identifying the locations within galaxies most likely to harbour complex biological life on terrestrial planets where the mineralogical building blocks resemble our own pre-solar cloud; (ii) incorporating radioisotopes, for the first time, within a chemo-dynamical code; (iii) designing an integrated approach to synthetic colour-magnitude generation.

2. To change the paradigm of production of elements heavier than iron in stars, that has held for more than 50 years. The goals are: (i) to quantify the role of the new intermediate neutron-capture process or i-process in the chemical evolution of the Universe and in solar abundances; (ii) to quantify the production of light elements made together with the i-process products in stars; (iii) to define the main features of the i-process in massive stars; (iv) to build theoretical stellar data sets to exploit the outcomes of the Gaia-ESO Mission.

3. The nature of the carbon reservoirs in the interstellar medium is a focal point for key questions related to star formation or life in the universe, for example. It has only recently been recognised that surface phenomena can be crucial for the synthesis of carbon-rich molecules in space and, while spectral data exists, there is a lack of reliable computational models to rationalise observations. We plan to (i) explore new hybrid methods to describe the energy landscapes of molecules adsorbed on dusty interstellar ices and (ii) develop new techniques to compute vibrational signatures of these adsorbates with unprecedented levels of accuracy, to support both observational data and galactic chemical evolution models.

4. Multiphase gas in galaxy clusters plays a crucial role in the feedback cycle between the cluster atmospheres and the central active galactic nuclei, and for the evolution of cluster spiral galaxies. However, this multiphase gas is embedded in the 30 million degree hot atmospheres of galaxy clusters, and its survival and evolution in this hostile environment is still ill-understood. Using numerical simulations and direct comparisons to observations, we will (i) for the first time link the baryonic physics of cooling and heat transfer between the hot and cold gas phases with the correct gas-dynamical conditions and will (ii) calibrate transition rates between hot and cold phases on deep observations of specific objects and make them available for general use.

5. To make significant tests of what is happening to gas within galaxies and the large scale structure of the Universe with new datasets and instruments enabled by the refurbishment of the United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope with the TAIPAN instrument and ASKAP, the Australian-based pre-cursor to the Square Kilometre Array. The goals are (i) to test the unified model of AGN; (ii) to determine the gas replenishment rate of galaxies from the cosmic web; (iii) to delineate the cosmic web in unprecedented detail at low redshifts; (iv) to support the operation of the TAIPAN survey on the UKST and build toward LSST science goals.

6. To develop new classes of solutions in scalar-field cosmology, including inflation and dynamical dark energy, using an original recently published approach to attacking the cosmological Hamilton-Jacobi equation. The main goal is to obtain more accurate constraints on inflationary observables, particularly the amplitude of primordial gravitational waves.