Lancaster University Astrophysics

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The work proposed here tackles some of the most important open questions in astrophysics, broadly centred on understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies and the properties of the Universe itself. It is closely linked with the STFC Science Roadmap challenges pertaining to the roles and nature of dark matter and dark energy, the formation of the first stars and galaxies in the Universe, the still unsolved key question of how galaxies evolve and the development of stars and planets. In order to address such fundamental questions, we use complementary approaches involving observation and modelling of the most distant galaxies and relatively nearby systems of stars. We will shed light on the formation of the halo of our own Milky Way galaxy by measuring chemical abundances in globular clusters coupled with their motions as revealed by the Gaia mission. We will search nearby ultra-faint dwarf galaxies for evidence of the first generation of stars and the first supernova explosions to chemically enrich the environments of early galaxies. We will obtain a new sample of very distant galaxies using unique wide-area surveys, which provide the bright targets needed for detailed study of their physical properties. We will use the most distant Type Ia supernovae currently observable to improve our understanding of dark energy and the ultimate fate of the universe. Finally we will use modelling of stars that will potentially result in supernova explosions and, for the first time their planetary systems, to improve cosmological constraints by linking cosmology to stellar evolution and exo-planet research. Our research involves making state-of-the-art observations using the world's most powerful and advanced telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope and facilities run by the European Southern Observatory including ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter Array) and the VLT (Very Large Telescope). At the same time the group is involved in the scientific planning for several new telescopes and instruments that will come online in the next 5-10 years and that will revolutionise research in astrophysics. These include the 4MOST spectrograph, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) and in space the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the European Space Agency's Euclid and FLARE missions.