IoA Theoretical and X-ray Astronomy consolidation

这项建议是为支持天文学研究所(IOA)的理论天体物理学和X射线天文学研究提供一笔临时赠款，这是向2012年完全巩固的IOA天文学赠款提案过渡的一部分。该理论主题涉及从宇宙本身的起源到星系、恒星和行星的形成和演化的广泛天体物理现象。研究的主要领域之一是宇宙学。IOA的成员在欧洲航天局的普朗克任务中发挥着主导作用，并将领导对宇宙的年龄、大小、暗物质、暗能量和重子含量等宇宙学参数的最终确定。另一个项目将对电离时期宇宙结构的演变进行理论模拟和分析，这是第一批恒星和星系形成的时期。恒星形成是赠款的另一个主要重点，范围从形成恒星的分子云所在的星系，到这些分子云中恒星和星团的形成。这些研究将结合最先进的数值模拟和分析理论，以及在IOA领导下的Herschel和Spitzer空间天文台对附近星系进行的丰富的多波长观测。了解恒星周围的行星系统及其形成是该理论主题的另一个目标。其中一个项目将侧重于对碎片盘、小行星盘、彗星物体和恒星周围的尘埃的性质进行建模，使用由IOA牵头的与赫歇尔天文台(碎片项目)一起对附近恒星进行的完整调查。另一个项目是模拟行星轨道本身在不同恒星环境和恒星演化阶段的演化。理论天文学主题的最后一个组成部分是双星系统的建模，并提高我们对双星系统如何在组成恒星被浸泡在共同包络中时演化的理解。这一演化阶段对于理解广泛的观测恒星系统非常重要，包括激变变星、X射线双星和超新星的前身，包括被用作宇宙学标准蜡烛的Ia型超新星。该提议的第二个主题是X射线天文学。这项研究将利用X射线小组在钱德拉、XMM-牛顿、Suzaku和ASTRO-H X射线天文台上获得的大量星系、星系团和银河系X射线双星系统的观测数据，实施三个项目。其中一个项目将测量黑洞的自转，其中一个项目将测量黑洞的自转，其中一个项目将测量黑洞的自转，其中一个黑洞是为类星体和其他活动星系核发出的巨大能量提供动力的超大质量黑洞，另一个是双星系统中的恒星质量黑洞。这项工作基于相对加宽的铁线光谱，也将提供对驱动系统的吸积现象的洞察。另一个项目将结合星系团核心的深层X射线成像和光谱来研究星系团内介质中的物理条件、湍流、声波和冲击，并限制来自星系团核心中的星系和周围星系际气体的辐射和机械能反馈的物理性质。一个相关的项目将把这些X射线数据与星系团中星际细丝和其他气体成分的多波长测量相结合，了解星系间气体进入中央星系的冷却和中央星系及其嵌入的黑洞随后对周围环境的加热之间的反馈过程。

This proposal is for an interim grant to support research in Theoretical Astrophysics and X-ray Astronomy at the Institute of Astronomy (IoA), as part of a transition to a fully consolidated IoA Astronomy grant proposal in 2012.The Theory theme addresses a wide range of astrophysical phenomena ranging from the origin of the Universe itself to the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets. One of the main areas of investigation is cosmology. Members of the IoA are playing a leading role in the European Space Agency Planck mission, and will lead a definitive determination of the cosmological parameters including the age, size, dark matter, dark energy and baryonic contents of the Universe. Another project will carry out theoretical simulations and analysis of the subsequent evolution of cosmic structure during the epoch of reionisation, when the first stars and galaxies were formed.Star formation is another major focus of the grant, on scales ranging from galaxies, where the molecular clouds giving birth to stars are formed, to the formation of stars and star clusters within these molecular clouds. These investigations will combine state-of-the-art numerical simulations with analytical theory and a rich new set of multi-wavelength observations of nearby galaxies being obtained with the Herschel and Spitzer space observatories under IoA leadership.The understanding of planetary systems around stars and their formation is another goal of the Theory theme. One project will focus on modelling the properties of debris discs, discs of asteroids, cometary objects, and dust surrounding stars, using a complete IoA-led survey of nearby stars with the Herschel observatory (DEBRIS project). Another project is directed at modelling the evolution of the planetary orbits themselves in different stellar environments and stellar evolutionary stages.The final component of the Theoretical Astronomy theme is the modelling of binary star systems, and improving our understanding of how double star systems evolve when the component stars are immersed in a common envelope. This phase of evolution is important for understanding a wide range of observed stellar systems including cataclysmic variables, X-ray binaries, and the progenitors of supernovae, including the Type Ia supernovae which are used as cosmological standard candles.The second theme of the proposal is X-ray Astronomy. The research will exploit a large body of observations of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and Galactic X-ray binary systems being obtained by the X-ray group on the Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku and ASTRO-H X-ray observatories to carry out three projects.One project will carry out measurements of the spin of black holes, both the supermassive black holes which power the enormous energy emissions from quasars and other active galactic nuclei, and the stellar-mass black holes in binary star systems. This work, based on spectroscopy of relativistically-broadened iron lines, will also provide insights into the accretion phenomena that power the systems.Another project will combine deep X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of the cores of galaxy clusters to study the physical conditions, turbulence, and acoustic waves and shocks in the intracluster medium, and constrain the physical nature of the feedback of radiative and mechanical energy from the galaxies in the cores of the cluster and the surrounding intergalactic gas in the clusters.A related project will combine these X-ray data with multi-wavelength measurements of the intergalactic filaments and other gas components in the clusters, to understand the feedback processes linking cooling of intergalactic gas into the central galaxies and the subsequent heating of the surroundings by the central galaxies and their embedded black holes.