Sheffield Astronomy PhD Projects for 2010
Enquiries concerning the astronomy programme, including arrangements for visits & interviews, should be directed to Prof Clive Tadhunter (C.Tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk). To apply, complete the University's on-line application form.
A number of astronomy-related PhD projects are likely to be offered for 2010, for a notional start date of 1 October. The Department offers studentships funded by the Science and Technology Funding Council (STFC) which will be offered for a duration of 3-4 years. The normal minimum requirement for support from a STFC studentship is a 2:i MSci, or equivalent. With regard to eligibility of non-UK students, regulations can be found on the STFC website. Research topics on offer loosely fall into three broad (and inter-related) categories. Further general details are available from our research webpages .
Contact names are given with each project, although applicants with general enquiries should normally first approach Prof Clive Tadhunter (C.Tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk; 0114-222 4300), while formal applications and questions of an administrative nature should be addressed to Mrs J Milner (j.milner@sheffield.ac.uk; 0114-222 3514). Interviewing is expected to commence during Feb 2010, so potential candidates are advised to submit their applications as soon as possible.
High-speed astrophysics
High-speed astrophysics with ULTRACAM and ULTRASPEC
ULTRACAM is a high-speed, triple-beam imaging photometer
built by Sheffield/Warwick/UKATC for the study of astrophysics on fast
timescales. Extreme astrophysical conditions can be found in our Galactic
neighbourhood by studying the compact remnants of stars: white dwarfs,
neutron stars and black holes. The dynamical timescales of compact objects
range from seconds to milliseconds, which means that much of the
variability observed from them occurs on these timescales. Existing
common-user instrumentation on the world's major telescopes is unable to
obtain high time-resolution data, which is why we have developed ULTRACAM
and ULTRASPEC. The aim of this PhD project will be to exploit these unique
instruments on the WHT, VLT and ESO 3.6m to study physics in extreme
conditions, such as accretion onto black holes, the structure of white
dwarfs and the evolution of close binary stars.
Contact: Prof Vik Dhillon (vik.dhillon@sheffield.ac.uk) or Dr Stuart
Littlefair (s.littlefair@sheffield.ac.uk
WWW
Dust cloud weather on brown dwarfs
Brown dwarfs (and very low mass stars) are characterised by the
formation of 'dust' in their atmosphere. Ignorance of the details
of dust formation is a major limiting factor on our ability to
infer basic properties (Mass, Age, Temperature) of brown dwarfs
from their spectra. Dust is likely to form in small clouds in
the brown dwarf atmospheres, and these clouds produce variability.
This project will use the variability to study the properties of
dust clouds in brown dwarfs,and use models of brown dwarfs to plan
strategies for observing brown dwarf weather with the James Webb
Space Telescope.
Contact: Dr Stuart Littlefair (s.littlefair@sheffield.ac.uk)
WWW
Stars and Star Clusters
Recurrent novae as Type Ia SNe progenitors
The use of Type Ia SNe as distance indicators provides some of the
strongest evidence for the existence of "dark energy", which fundamentally
affects the way in which the Universe evolves.
The progenitors of Type Ia SNe are the
subject of much debate at the moment, which throws the use of these
objects as standard candles into question. This project builds upon our
previous determination that the white dwarf mass in a recurrent nova U
Scorpii lies on the Chandrasekhar limit. Our study remains the best
evidence to date that recurrent novae are (one of) the likely progenitors
of Type Ia SNe. A continuation of this important work to other recurrent
novae and related binaries is now essential if we are to fully understand
how Type Ia SNe are formed
Contact: Prof Vik Dhillon (vik.dhillon@sheffield.ac.uk).
WWW
Properties of Wolf-Rayet stars from infra-red observations
Massive stars end their lives violently as core-collapse supernovae. Observationally,
the most massive stars prior to core-collapse are known as Wolf-Rayet stars. This project
will use archival Spitzer and ground-based (ESO) spectroscopy to study Milky Way Wolf-Rayet stars
at infrared wavelengths. You will couple these datasets to sophisticated atmospheric models,
from which elemental abundances and wind clumping will be derived, of relevance to contemporary
evolutionary models of high mass stars allowing for rotational mixing.
Contact: Prof Paul Crowther (Paul.Crowther@sheffield.ac.uk).
WWW
The early dynamical evolution of star clusters
The vast majority of stars form in star clusters. These clusters evolve significantly in the first few Myr of their life.
They collapse, destroy binary and
multiple systems, segregate the most massive stars to their centres, and are often destroyed. In this project we will use
computer simulations to investigate
how massive young clusters evolve. In particular we wish to see if massive stars can collide and merge possibly producing
intermediate mass black holes.
Contact: Dr Simon Goodwin (s.goodwin@sheffield.ac.uk).WWW
Multiple star formation in dense cores
Most stars form in multiple systems. This project will use
hydrodynamical
simulations of the collapse and fragmentation of dense cores to examine
the properties of the multiple systems they form. When compared to
observation these will provide constraints on star formation theory.
Contact: Dr Simon Goodwin (s.goodwin@sheffield.ac.uk).WWW
Active Galaxies, Quasars and Starbursts
The triggering of AGN in galaxy evolution
The relationship between AGN and their host galaxies is not understood
in any depth. This project will investigate how AGN are triggered as part
of the overall galaxy evolution process by examining the morphologies and
environments of the AGN host galaxies and, for the first time, relating
these to optical, mid-/far-IR and radio indicators of AGN and starburst
activity in a quantitative way.
Contact: Prof Clive Tadhunter (c.tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk).
WWW
Stellar kinematics of AGN host galaxies
In order to understand how AGN are linked to galaxy evolution it is crucial to determine the stellar kinematical properties of their host galaxies. Previous attempts to measure stellar kinematics of AGN host galaxies at optical wavelengths have been hampered by substantial emission line contamination of prominent stellar absorption features. This project involves using near-IR observations of the CO bandheads, which do not suffer from such contamination, to determine accurate stellar kinematics for samples of powerful radio galaxies and narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies. Contact: Prof Clive Tadhunter (c.tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk). WWW
The impact of the activity on the host galaxies of luminous AGN
There is increasing speculation that luminous AGN can affect the evolution of their host galaxies by driving powerful outflows that remove gas from the central regions of the galaxies and halt further star formation. However, direct observational evidence for such outflows is currently lacking. This project will use high quality optical/IR spectra for carefully chosen samples of powerful AGN to quantify the true significance of AGN-induced outflows, providing an important input to galaxy evolution models. Contact: Prof Clive Tadhunter (c.tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk). WWW
