Lancaster University: Observational Astrophysics PATT grant 2020-2022

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Astrophysics is the study of the physical nature of celestial objects and the Universe in which they live. The Astrophysics group at Lancaster has been set up in 2015 within the Physics Department, complementing the Theoretical Particle Cosmology and Space and Planetary Physics groups. The new group's research is primarily observational and tackles some of the most important open questions in Astrophysics, broadly centred around understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies, their central black holes and the properties of the Universe itself. The group's research on galaxies and super-massive black holes includes detailed studies of relatively nearby galaxies and galaxy clusters through to searches for the most distant galaxies observable. Through these studies we can probe the earliest systems that formed in the Universe. Related research on the properties of the Universe includes measuring cosmological parameters such as the expansion rate and geometry of the Universe, and the relative fractions and properties of its constituents, including ordinary matter and the mysterious dark matter and dark energy. Recently, with new staff members joining (Simmons, Wardlow and Pitkin), we have expanded to study some of the most active and dusty star-forming galaxies in the early Universe, but we also work on gravitational wave astronomy, specifically focusing on pulsars.Our research involves making state-of-the-art observations using the world's most powerful telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the facilities of the European Southern Observatory, including ALMA and VLT, but also LIGO and Virgo. 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 to be mounted on the VISTA telescope, the Rubin Observatory (an 8m diameter survey telescope), the 40m European Extremely Large Telescope and in space ESA's Euclid mission (a wide-field survey telescope for cosmology) and the James Webb Space Telescope.The main topics of research at Lancaster are:- the co-evolution of galaxies and super-massive black holes; galaxy morphologies; citizen science, Galaxy Zoo;- galaxy formation and evolution; emission-line galaxies; high-redshift galaxies; re-ionisation; the star formation history of the Universe; the early ISM and metal enrichment;- sub-mm galaxies- supernovae as cosmological probes; cosmological parameters; dark energy;- integral field spectroscopy; galaxy clusters and quasar absorption line studies;- scientific planning for future telescopes and instruments;- Continuous gravitational wave signals from pulsars In this proposal we are applying for the renewal of our PATT grant to continue to support our Observational Astrophysics group. The grant will cover the travel and subsistence costs of all researchers at Lancaster for observing runs at PATT approved telescopes. Even though our staff numbers have now doubled, more runs are being done remotely, and therefore we request a reduced amount this time.