Astronomical Research in Edinburgh

There are around fifty active astronomical researchers at ROE, as well as large numbers of programmers, engineers, and technicians; the total number of people on site is about 150. IfA and ATC staff share a single canteen, library, computer network, seminar and coffee-talk series, so the effect is of a single large research institute. Research-active staff can be grouped as follows:

• Twelve teaching staff in IfA: Philip Best, Jim Dunlop, Annette Ferguson, Mike Hawkins, Alan Heavens, Andy Lawrence, Bob Mann, Ross McLure, Avery Meiksin, John Peacock, Ken Rice, Andy Taylor.

• Staff elsewhere in the University who undertake astronomy-related research: Douglas Heggie and Max Ruffert, Maths; Phil Woods, Nuclear Physics; Arjun Berera and Alex Murphy, Particle Astrophysics.

• STFC, Royal Society, or SUPA research fellows: Catherine Heymans, Richard Massey, Wing-Fai Thi, Ray Wolstencroft, Adam Woodcraft, plus one joint with physics (Arjun Berera).

• STFC rolling grant or EU funded PDRAs: Michael Barker, Michele Cirasuolo, Timothy Garn, Rachel Gilmour, Dougal Mackey, Angela Mortier, Noelia Noel, Peder Norberg, Ben Panter, Emma Rigby, Patrick Simon, Fergus Simpson, Eric Tittley.

• Project funded staff in wide-field astronomy who have time for personal research: Nick Cross, Nigel Hambly, Peredur Williams.

• ATC scientists who have some time available for personal research (Andy Longmore, Rob Ivison, Alistair Glasse, Gillian Wright, Tim Hawarden, Wayne Holland, Chris Evans, Andy Biggs, Michele Cirasuolo).

• PhD students - typically 25 at any one time.

A wide variety of research is undertaken, but the main active areas at present are:

Cosmology

• Large-scale structure in the Universe from:
  • Optical, IRAS, radio and X-ray selected samples of galaxies and quasars.
  • Cosmic Microwave Background data.
  • Gravitational lensing.
  • Theoretical and numerical studies
• Optimised analysis methods for redshift surveys and CMB data.
• The intergalactic medium with emphasis on the reionisation epoch and metal enrichment.
• Galaxy formation.
• Processes occurring in the early universe.
• Dark matter and dark energy.

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and related objects

• Optical and X-ray AGN variability.
• Multiwavelength spectral energy distributions of AGN.
• Observational studies of obscured AGN and their role in the X-ray and FIR backgrounds.
• Studies of AGN host galaxies and their environment.
• Ultraluminous IRAS galaxies.
• High-redshift sub-mm sources.
• Theoretical and observational studies of relativistic jets and particle acceleration.

Nearby Galaxies

• Structure, content and evolution of galaxies in the Local Universe (including the Milky Way), with emphasis on their faint components (stellar halos, thick disks and outer disks).
• Galaxy formation as probed by the local fossil record.
• Resolved and unresolved stellar populations.
• Large-scale star formation and the interstellar medium in nearby galaxies.
• Chemical abundances and chemical evolution.

Stellar astronomy

• Surveys for low mass stars and brown dwarfs, and follow-up study of brown dwarf candidates.
• The stellar luminosity function.
• Parallax and proper motion studies including study of local kinematics from long plate series.
• White dwarf samples from colour and proper motion.
• The white dwarf luminosity function and the age of the disc.
• Halo white dwarfs and the dark matter.
• Infrared properties of variable stars as standard candles.
• Symbiotic stars.
• Wolf-Rayet and other mass-losing stars.
• Star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds.

Star Formation

• Observational and theoretical studies of the interstellar medium, especially shocks and proto-stellar outflows, and their role in star formation.
• Chemistry of the interstellar medium.
• Star formation in external galaxies.
• Sub-mm studies of Class 0 protostars and starless cores.
• Theoretical study of star formation in the early universe.

Planet Formation

• Disc and planet formation in protostars.
• Discs around pre-main sequence stars.

Computational Astrophysics

The IfA is host to the Edinburgh Centre for Computational Astrophysics (ECCA) in affiliation with members from the Applied Mathematics group within the School of Mathematics. Areas of interest include cosmological structure formation, star and planet formation, the merger of neutron stars and black holes as precursors to gamma-ray bursts, and the gravitational dynamics of globular star clusters.

All email addresses are username@roe.ac.uk

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The Royal Observatory Edinburgh comprises the UK Astronomy Technology Centre of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Edinburgh and the ROE Visitor Centre.