Astrophysics at The University of Hull

最近在赫尔大学成立的E.A.米尔恩天体物理中心的研究领域从太阳物理到恒星、超大质量黑洞、星系、星系团和整个宇宙的物理。我们研究了这些宇宙结构的生长和演化，恒星内部化学元素的产生，以及这些元素在星系及其环境中的重新分布。为此，我们使用了本地、国家和国际超级计算机上的数值模拟以及电磁频谱上的天体物理观测。最近，我们加入了4MOST联盟，建立了我们在RAVE中的建设者地位，并且是新的大班调查的主要合作者。我们的模拟和观测结果通过内部协同以及与世界各地的国际同事的密切合作而结合在一起。我们提出的项目广泛关注星系的演化，这是STFC科学路线图中提到的关键挑战之一。我们研究星系内部物理的各个方面。这些包括不同质量恒星通过I过程的核合成，即化学元素的产生机制。我们将利用计算化学建立一个灵活而准确的理论框架，以从第一性原理确定吸附在表面(例如星际尘埃)上的含碳分子的振动特征。我们的化学动力学星系规模的模拟将展示星系内恒星中产生的化学元素是如何在下一代恒星中重新分配和循环使用的。在一次激动人心的冒险中，我们将确定星系中最有可能蕴藏复杂生物生命的位置，解决人类面临的一个基本问题。星系的演化与其外部环境密切相关，外部环境可以是孤立的星系，也可以是密集的星系群，也可以是巨大的星系团。因此，我们将模拟星系群环境对星系化学演化的影响，以及宇宙时间尺度上星系的演化。一个特别感兴趣的问题是确定宇宙宜居带的特征。我们的观测数据将通过量化不同环境中星系的活动星系核的性质，来测试我们对活动星系核的理解，即深埋在星系中的黑洞。在我们的测量工作过程中，我们将向天文学界发布相当于南方SDSS的一大笔遗产。星系的气体成分与它们所处的环境直接相关。星系团中的星系构成了一个特别有趣的例子，星系的分子和原子气体，即冷和冷气体(10-10,000度)嵌入到3000万度高温的星系团大气中。这种冷星系和热星系团气体之间的相互作用对于星系团螺旋星系的演化和中心星系团中超大质量黑洞的生长和爆发都是至关重要的，也是我们建议研究的一个重点。最后，我们的目标包括在标量场宇宙学中开发新的解决方案。我们对膨胀和动态暗能量本质的洞察将为未来的高精度实验提供信息，特别是那些旨在探测原始引力波的实验。我们的研究显然是跨学科的，专业知识来自天体物理、数学和化学。我们的团队汇集了以下领域的世界领先专家：恒星和超新星的核合成(Pignatari)、计算天体化学(Benoit)、星系化学演化模型(Gibson，Low)、星系团的动力学和气体物理(Roediger)、河外观测、勘测和星系演化(Pimbblet)以及宇宙学和空洞统计(崇奇南)。

The recently founded E.A. Milne Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Hull spans research areas from solar physics to the physics of stars, supermassive black holes, galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and the Universe as a whole. We study the growth and evolution of these cosmic structures as well as the production of chemical elements inside stars and the redistribution of these elements throughout galaxies and their environments. To this end, we use numerical simulations on local, national, and international supercomputers as well as astrophysical observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. Recently, we joined the 4MOST Consortium, building on our Builder Status within RAVE, and are key collaborators in the new TAIPAN survey. Our results from simulations and observations are combined through in-house synergies as well as intense collaboration with international colleagues around the world.Our proposed projects broadly focus on the evolution of galaxies, one of the key challenges named in the STFC Science Roadmap. We study a variety of aspects of the internal physics of galaxies. These include the nucleosynthesis, i.e., production mechanisms of chemical elements, via the i-process in stars of different masses. We will employ computational chemistry to build a flexible and accurate theoretical framework to determine the vibrational signature of carbon-containing molecules adsorbed on surfaces (e.g., interstellar dust) from first principles. Our chemo-dynamical galaxy-scale simulations will show how chemical elements produced in the stars inside galaxies are redistributed and recycled in the next generation of stars. In an exciting venture, we will identify the locations within galaxies most likely to harbour complex biological life, addressing one of the fundamental questions facing humanity.The evolution of galaxies is tightly linked to their external environments which can range from isolated galaxies to galaxies in dense groups or in massive clusters of galaxies. Thus, we will simulate the impact of a group environment on the chemical evolution of galaxies as well as the evolution of galaxies over cosmological timescales. One particular interest is to determine the characteristics of the cosmological habitable zone. Our observational survey data will test our understanding of active galactic nuclei, black holes buried deeply inside galaxies, by quantifying the properties of the active galactic nuclei for galaxies in different environments. In the course of our survey work, we will publish the Southern equivalent of SDSS of a large legacy to the astronomical community. The gas component of galaxies directly links to their environment. Galaxies in galaxy clusters pose a particularly interesting case where the galaxies' molecular and atomic gas, i.e., cold and cool gas (10-10,000 degree), is embedded in the 30 million degree hot cluster atmosphere. The interaction between this cool galactic and hot cluster gas is crucial for, both, the evolution of cluster spiral galaxies and for growth and outbursts of supermassive black holes in the central cluster galaxies, and is a focus of our proposed research. Finally, our goals include developing new classes of solutions in scalar-field cosmology. Our insights into the nature of inflation and dynamical dark energy will inform future high-precision experiments, particularly those designed to detect primordial gravitational waves.Our research is decidedly cross-disciplinary in nature, with expertise drawn from astrophysics, mathematics, and chemistry. Our team combines world-leading experts in nucleosynthesis in stars and supernovae (Pignatari), computational astrochemistry (Benoit), galactic chemical evolution modelling (Gibson, Few), dynamics and gas physics in galaxy clusters (Roediger), extragalactic observations, surveys and galaxy evolution (Pimbblet), and cosmology and void statistics (Chongchitnan).