Queen's University Belfast Astronomy Observation and Theory Consolidated Grant 2023-2026

贝尔法斯特女王大学天文学观测和理论综合补助金 2023-2026

• 批准号: ST/X00094X/1
• 负责人: Christopher Watson
• 金额: $ 144.54万
• 依托单位: Queen's University Belfast
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FX00094X%2F1
• 关键词: Queen; University; Belfast; Astronomy; Observation

The proposed research at QUB covers a wide range of fundamentally important astrophysics, from studying the evolution and often violent deaths of stars and exotic objects, to analysing the atmospheres of newly discovered alien worlds. Our team has internationally renowned observational and theoretical expertise that lies at the forefront of the proposed activities.Supernovae create the heavy elements we see in the entire visible Universe. While stars evolve over millions or billions of years, a supernova explosion happens in seconds and the glowing remnant lasts for years. We aim to understand how these explosions happen and how they create the neutron stars, pulsars and black holes in our galaxy. In 2017 a breakthrough discovery was made when the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave source was found. Termed a 'kilonova', this was the result of a pair of merging neutron stars and the optical and infrared light arose from the radioactive decay of heavy elements (which we call r-process elements). These elements are heavier than iron and such neutron star mergers may be responsible for all these heavy elements. Our projects will find more of these, and the combination of gravitational waves and electromagnetic signals opens up a new window on the Universe. The thermonuclear supernovae that are used as cosmic yardsticks and led to the Nobel Prize winning discovery of dark energy come from white dwarfs, the incredibly dense remnants of a dead star with a mass greater than that of the sun but the size of the earth. To understand how they explode, we will model their spectra with the most sophisticated 3 dimensional computer models that currently exist.The heavy elements that are created in supernovae are essential to form planetary systems, and since the Nobel prize-winning discovery of the first planet orbiting a normal star (an exoplanet) we now know of 1000s of alien worlds. Despite their astounding diversity, from hot-Jupiters to super-Earths, we have yet to find a planet that resembles Earth in terms of its size and distance from its parent star due to the tiny signals they produce. With ultra-high precision instruments coming online in the last few years the barrier to success is no longer limited by technology, but by our lack of understanding of the surface activity of stars like our Sun. Our project will aim to understand and mitigate this effect, and carefully test methods to extract the tiny signals we expect with an eye on the future prize of detecting an earth twin. Running parallel to this, we also wish to improve our ability to probe the atmospheres of exoplanets. Our group has a heritage in developing new and increasingly sensitive atmospheric characterisation tools, and we shall apply a technique called Doppler Tomography that demonstrates particular promise. Honing such techniques will allow us to probe smaller planets and search for more subtle signals from previously unseen chemical species.A critical part of astrophysics is pulling together our detailed knowledge of physics that we can measure on earth to what we can see (through electromagnetic radiation) in the distant Universe. This will be done through computer calculations of model atoms, and laboratory experiments. Our computer codes calculate how electrons are excited in atoms and ensures that astrophysical models identify the elements that cause the spectral lines in supernovae, supermassive black holes, galaxy spectra and stars. Now that we have detected a kilonova we must do the same calculations for the heaviest elements. Meanwhile, novel experiments using powerful lasers can replicate some of the most extreme conditions in the Universe in a controllable and repeatable fashion - something rarely achievable in astronomical observations. Such investigations are key to unlocking a clearer understanding of several exotic astrophysical phenomena, from jets emanating from the cores of active galaxies to Gamma Ray Bursts.

拟议中的研究涵盖了广泛的基本重要的天体物理学，从研究恒星和外来物体的演化和经常暴力死亡，到分析新发现的外星世界的大气层。我们的团队拥有国际知名的观测和理论专业知识，处于拟议活动的最前沿。超新星创造了我们在整个可见宇宙中看到的重元素。虽然恒星的演化经历了数百万或数十亿年，但超新星爆炸在几秒钟内就发生了，而发光的残骸会持续数年。我们的目标是了解这些爆炸是如何发生的，以及它们是如何在我们的星系中创造出中子星、中子星和黑洞的。2017年，科学家们取得了突破性的发现，发现了第一个引力波源的电磁对应物。这是一对中子星合并的结果，被称为“千诺瓦”，光学和红外光来自重元素（我们称之为r过程元素）的放射性衰变。这些元素比铁重，中子星星合并可能是所有这些重元素的原因。我们的项目将发现更多这样的东西，引力波和电磁信号的结合为宇宙打开了一扇新的窗户。被用作宇宙尺度并导致诺贝尔奖获得者发现暗能量的热核超新星来自白色矮星，这是一颗死亡星星的密度令人难以置信的残余物，其质量大于太阳，但大小与地球相当。为了理解它们是如何爆炸的，我们将用目前存在的最复杂的三维计算机模型来模拟它们的光谱。超新星中产生的重元素是形成行星系统的必要条件，自从诺贝尔奖获得者发现第一颗绕着正常星星（系外行星）运行的行星以来，我们现在知道了1000多个外星世界。尽管它们有着惊人的多样性，从热彗星到超级地球，我们还没有找到一颗行星，由于它们产生的微小信号，在大小和与母星星的距离方面与地球相似。随着超高精度仪器在过去几年中上线，成功的障碍不再是技术，而是我们对太阳等恒星表面活动缺乏了解。我们的项目将致力于理解和减轻这种影响，并仔细测试提取我们期望的微小信号的方法，着眼于未来探测地球孪生兄弟的奖励。与此同时，我们还希望提高探测系外行星大气层的能力。我们的团队在开发新的和越来越敏感的大气特征化工具方面有着传统，我们将应用一种称为多普勒层析成像的技术，该技术具有特别的前景。完善这些技术将使我们能够探测更小的行星，并从以前看不见的化学物质中寻找更微妙的信号。天体物理学的一个关键部分是将我们在地球上可以测量的详细物理知识与我们在遥远的宇宙中可以看到的（通过电磁辐射）结合起来。这将通过模型原子的计算机计算和实验室实验来完成。我们的计算机代码计算电子如何在原子中被激发，并确保天体物理模型识别导致超新星，超大质量黑洞，星系光谱和恒星光谱线的元素。既然我们已经探测到了一个千诺瓦，我们必须对最重的元素做同样的计算。与此同时，使用强大激光的新实验可以以可控和可重复的方式复制宇宙中一些最极端的条件-这在天文观测中很少实现。这样的研究是解开更清楚地了解几种奇异天体物理现象的关键，从活跃星系核心发出的喷流到伽马射线暴。

项目成果

ExoGemS High-resolution Transmission Spectroscopy of WASP-76b with GRACES

ExoGemS 使用 GRACES 对 WASP-76b 进行高分辨率透射光谱分析

• DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/acebdc
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: The Astronomical Journal
• 作者: Deibert E

A.C.I.D - An Improved LSD Technique for Accurate Line Profile Retrieval

A.C.I.D - 一种改进的 LSD 技术，用于精确的线路轮廓检索

• 发表时间: 2024
• 期刊: arXiv e-prints
• 作者: Dolan L. S.

Modelling the spectra of the kilonova AT2017gfo -- II: Beyond the photospheric epochs

千新星 AT2017gfo 光谱建模——II：超越光球时代

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2306.15055
• 发表时间: 2023
• 作者: Gillanders J

ExoGemS Detection of a Metal Hydride in an Exoplanet Atmosphere at High Spectral Resolution

• DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ace529
• 发表时间: 2023-07
• 期刊: The Astrophysical Journal Letters
• 作者: L. Flagg;J. Turner;E. Deibert;A. Ridden-Harper;E. D. de Mooij;R. MacDonald;R. Jayawardhana

Nebular spectra from Type Ia supernova explosion models compared to JWST observations of SN 2021aefx

Ia 型超新星爆炸模型的星云光谱与 JWST 观测到的 SN 2021aefx 的比较

• DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202347147
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• 影响因子: 6.5
• 作者: Blondin S