Astronomy & AstrophysicsAstronomy & Astrophysics

Group Profile

Prof John Brown (Astronomer Royal for Scotland)Dr Declan DiverDr Lyndsay FletcherDr Martin HendryDr Alec Mackinnon (Dept. of Adult & Cont. Educ.)Dr Graham Woan

Faculty:

Research andSupport Staff:

10 Honorary & Visiting Faculty5 PDRAs (4 PPARC + 1 EPSRC)2 PPARC-funded Computing Support3 Secretarial + Technical Support

Postgraduates: 13 (2 shared with IGR; 5 PPARC; 4 EPSRC)

Focussing of Expertise

Theory + Hardware Data utilisation

Major Change in Age Profile5 Lecturer appointments in 12 years

Specific Skills Brown:Diver:

Mackinnon: Woan: Hendry:

Fletcher:

plasma theory and diagnosticsplasma theory and simulationsplasma theory and gamma-ray diagnosticsradio and signal analysisstatistical modelling and cosmologysolar data analysis and modelling

Astronomy & AstrophysicsAstronomy & Astrophysics

Group involvement in hardware / data exploitation

Solar: SoHO, Yohkoh, TRACE, RHESSI

Stellar: XMM, Chandra, IUE, FUSE lensing: OGLE, PLANET, MOA

Cosmology: PSCz, 2dF, HST, SDSS

+ links with IGR (Woan + joint PGs) in signal analysis and astrophysics

Current PPARC supportRolling theory programme + RHESSI mission grant

approx. 1 quota studentship per year

Astronomy & AstrophysicsAstronomy & Astrophysics

Analysis of RHESSI HXR Data

RHESSI launched 5th Feb 2002

Unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution

Glasgow sole UK Co-I

Probing solar flare physics: HXR image analysis HXR spectral inversion Electron beam dynamics -rays and ions

Analysis of RHESSI HXR Data

RHESSI launched 5th Feb 2002

Unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution

Glasgow sole UK Co-I

Probing solar flare physics: HXR image analysis HXR spectral inversion Electron beam dynamics -rays and ions

Analysis of RHESSI HXR Data

RHESSI launched 5th Feb 2002

Unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution

Glasgow sole UK Co-I

Probing solar flare physics: HXR image analysis HXR spectral inversion Electron beam dynamics -rays and ions

RHESSI Spectroscopy

April 21 2002 event:Time evolution of X-ray spectra: “Soft –Hard – Soft”

Particle Acceleration NearMagnetic Nulls

Solar Photospheric Flows

Footpoints Flux Tube

Solar B will measure photospheric magnetic field and trace its interaction with the corona

Footpoints advected by photospheric flow; flux tubes can become unstable;rapid release of magnetic energy

Developing tools for Solar B mission

Solar Photospheric Flows

Flow calculated by Lattice Boltzmann method

Developing tools for Solar B missionSolar B will measure photospheric magnetic field and trace its interaction with the corona

Footpoints advected by photospheric flow; flux tubes become unstable;rapid release of magnetic energy

Modelling Hot Star Winds

Wolf-Rayet stars lose~ 1 solar mass / 104 yrs: important for stellar evolution, ISM abundances

World-leading expertise in inversion techniques for probing density, velocity structure of stellar winds

Developed spectropolarimetric diagnostics of `clumpy’ winds

XMM time to study Wolf-Rayet star variability

Modelling Be Star Disks

Developed (with Cassinelli) Magnetic Torquing model.

Physical origin of Be star disks unclear

Fits well observations across spectral class

Robust Statistical Methodsfor Cosmology

21st Century an era of ‘precision cosmology’

Crucial to improve statistical techniques for testing model assumptions

Developing robust methods for analysisof redshift surveys:

investigating completenessconstraining luminosity evolution

Robust Statistical Methodsfor Cosmology

investigating completenessconstraining luminosity evolution

21st Century an era of ‘precision cosmology’

Crucial to improve statistical techniques for testing model assumptions

Developing robust methods for analysisof redshift surveys:

Future Plans

Further expand pioneering research programme in:astrophysical plasma theory, diagnostics and simulations;

Age profile enables long term strategy – participation in PPARC Roadmap

statistical analysis of sparse and noisy data problems

Specific Goals:

Analysis and interpretation of RHESSI data

Optimal exploitation of: Solar B, Stereo, Planck, SNAP, GEST, GEO600