A Consolidated Grant Proposal for Astrophysics and Solar System Research at the University of Leicester, 2013-2016

我们将在天体物理学、太阳系科学和空间科学方面开展世界一流的研究项目，通过利用空间任务和地面望远镜的数据，以及发展这些领域的新理论和过程的数值模拟，同时为未来的任务和望远镜开发新的仪器技术和探测器。该研究项目以4个研究小组为基础，他们进行自己的研究项目，但在共同感兴趣的主题上也有很强的合作精神。我们的研究旨在了解发生在我们的太阳系，我们的本地星系和其他星系的基本过程，并回答在更广泛的社区中非常感兴趣的问题。例如，在我们的太阳系研究中，我们希望了解行星周围的空间环境，因为这些环境在行星之间的差异很大，这取决于它们的磁化程度、大气的性质、卫星的存在和行星的自转速度。我们还将设法了解行星的大气层是如何受到外部过程的影响的，特别是太阳大气层在远离太阳时不断膨胀，也被称为太阳风。通过对彗星尘埃颗粒的研究，我们将了解太阳系是如何形成的，通过对火星陨石的分析，我们将了解火星上的可居住性。我们的天体物理学研究同样令人兴奋。在这里，我们将寻找围绕附近恒星运行的新行星，这些行星可能模仿我们太阳系中存在的行星，或者实际上非常不同，比如热海王星或超级地球。这项研究将包括对这些新的行星大气的调查。我们还将通过开展高能天体物理学研究来研究宇宙中最极端环境中发生的一些过程，重点研究从银河系黑洞双星到活动星系核（AGN）再到伽马射线暴等极端现象。这些研究将包括将AGN与其宿主星系演化联系起来的反馈过程。此外，我们将维持和加强一个以矮星天体物理学为重点的恒星天文学项目。我们还将使用高性能计算机模拟这些系统，这些系统反过来将提供有助于我们观察的信息，反之亦然。通过这些模拟，我们将创建这些极端系统行为的理论和模型，并确定这些系统的物理特性是否与我们在太阳系中所了解的不同。我们还将利用这些模拟来寻找产生“暗物质”的过程，这是一种不同寻常的奇特物质。最后，我们还将进行实验室实验，我们将开发新的方法，通过为下一代太空任务开发新的仪器，我们可以从远处观察这些系统。这项工作对于确保我们能够进一步发展我们的理解至关重要。还有一种情况是，从这些实验中产生了其他“衍生”活动，这些活动可以为天体物理学和空间科学以外的其他领域带来好处。该部门还与更广泛的社区，特别是学龄儿童进行了蓬勃发展和积极的参与计划，他们对该部门所进行的研究感到兴奋。最后，我们还建议保持对知识转移学术受益人的坚定承诺。

We will carry out world-class research programmes in astrophysics, solar system science and space science through the exploitation of data from space missions and ground based telescopes, as well as the development of new theories and the numerical simulation of processes in these areas, together with the development of new instrumental techniques and detectors for future missions and telescopes. The research programme is based around 4 research groups, who conduct their own research projects but also have a strong ethos of collaboration on topics of mutual interest. Our research seeks to understand basic processes that occur in our solar system, our local galaxy and in other galaxies and answer questions which are of great interest in the wider community. For example in our solar system research we wish to understand the space environments around the planets, as these vary strongly between the planets depending on their magnetisation, the nature of the atmosphere, the presence of moons, and the planetary rotation rate. We will also seek to understand how the atmospheres of the planets are influenced by external processes, particularly the expanding solar atmosphere as it moves away from the sun, also known as the solar wind. Through our work on cometary dust grains we will gain knowledge about how our solar system has formed, and through analyses of martian meteorites gain knowledge about habitability on Mars.Our Astrophysics research is no less exciting. Here we will search for new planets orbiting nearby stars which may mimic the planets that are present in our own solar system or indeed be very different, such as hot Neptunes, or Super Earths. This study will include the investigation of these new planetary atmospheres. We will also investigate some of the processes that occur in the most extreme of environments in our Universe by undertaking high energy astrophysics research focusing on extreme phenomena ranging from Galactic black hole binaries, through to active galactic nuclei (AGN) onto gamma-ray bursts. These studies will include the feedback processes that link AGN and their host galaxy evolution. Further we will maintain and enhance a programme in stellar astronomy with emphasis on the astrophysics of dwarf stars.We will also simulate using high performance computers these systems which in turn will provide information which can help our observations and vice versa. Through these simulations we will create theories and models of how these extreme systems behave and determine whether the Physics of these systems is different from that we understand in our own solar system. We will also use these simulations to search for the processes which create "dark matter", an unusually exotic type of matter.Finally we will also conduct laboratory experiments where we will develop new ways in which we can observe these systems from afar by developing new instruments for the next generation of space missions. This work is essential to ensure that we can develop our understanding further. It is also the case that from these experiments come other "spin-off" activities which can lead to benefits elsewhere other than Astrophysics and Space Science.The Department also has a thriving and active programme of engagement with the wider community, particularly school age children who are thrilled by the research that is undertaken in the Department. Finally we also propose to maintain a very strong commitment to knowledge transfer Academic beneficiaries.