Astrophysics

We're researching astrophysics to better understand the basic building blocks of our Universe. We're looking at the origin of stars, the formation and evolution of galaxies, and stellar population models.

Galaxies are massive collections of stars, gas, dust and dark matter, bound together by gravity. We study how galaxies form and evolve over cosmic time using stellar population modelling, and also inform cosmological surveys, which use galaxies as tracers for the structure of the Universe. Our research, much of which takes place within the University's Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, tells us about the basic physics of star formation and the content of the Universe.

Galaxy evolution

Our research into galaxy evolution covers galaxies from the most local to some of the most distant objects known. We search for clues into how they developed by looking at the types of stars and the star formation histories of galaxies. Studying the elemental make up of the stars and gas in a galaxy reveals orbital dynamics – either through stellar or gaseous kinematics or in a frozen snapshot in the galaxy morphology.

Our researchers are involved in leading astronomical surveys that help us map and understand galaxies and the processes within them. We use the surveys to explore what galaxies can tell us about the past, present and future of the Universe.

Astronomical surveys we're involved in:

(SDSS)
(BOSS)
(MaNGA)
Galaxy Evolution group for the (DES)
Galaxy Working groups for

Stellar population modelling

The dark Universe is filled with dazzling galaxies, which shine in virtue of their stellar content. Stellar radiation, which reaches us from the most remote regions of the Universe, can be modelled following robust physical principles. The light emitted can be used as a probe of galaxy structure formation and evolution and as a cosmic chronometer.

Stellar population models are central to astrophysics and cosmology. We research stellar population modelling to predict and describe the evolution of galaxies.

A galaxy can contain billions of stars. The total energetics emission of a galaxy is the sum of the light from all its stars, which depends on stellar energetics, lifetimes and the stellar initial mass function. It also depends on parameters that are specific to the different galaxies such as history of star formation, chemical composition and dust content.

Researchers at our Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, Prof Claudia Maraston and Prof Daniel Thomas, are world leaders in the field of stellar population modelling. Their recent results include the calculation and analysis of models at high spectral resolution.

Publication highlights

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 407, Issue 2, pp. 830-845. (2010), Claudia Maraston, Janine Pforr, Alvio Renzini, Emanuele Daddi, Mark Dickinson, Andrea Cimatti, Chiara Tonini
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 432, Issue 1, p.359-373 (2013), Rita Tojeiro, Karen L. Masters, Joshua Richards, Will J. Percival, Steven P. Bamford, Claudia Maraston, Robert C. Nichol, Ramin Skibba, Daniel Thomas
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 424, Issue 3, pp. 2180-2192 (2012), Karen L. Masters, Robert C. Nichol, Martha P. Haynes, William C. Keel, Chris Lintott, Brooke Simmons, Ramin Skibba, Steven Bamford, Riccardo Giovanelli, Kevin Schawinski
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 418, Issue 2, pp. 1055-1070 (2011), Karen L. Masters, Claudia Maraston, Robert C. Nichol, Daniel Thomas, Alessandra Beifiori, Kevin Bundy, Edward M. Edmondson, Tim D. Higgs, Alexie Leauthaud, Rachel Mandelbaum, Janine Pforr, Ashley J. Ross, Nicholas P. Ross, Donald P. Schneider, Ramin Skibba, Jeremy Tinker, Rita Tojeiro, David Wake, Jon Brinkmann, Benjamin A. Weaver
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 435, Issue 4, p.2764-2792 (2013), Claudia Maraston, Janine Pforr, Bruno M. Henriques, Daniel Thomas, David Wake, Joel R. Brownstein, Diego Capozzi, Jeremy Tinker, Kevin Bundy, Ramin A. Skibba, et al.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 407, Issue 2, pp. 830-845, Claudia Maraston, Janine Pforr, Alvio Renzini, Emanuale Daddi , Mark Dickinson, Andrea Cimatti, Chiara Tonini
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 434, Issue 1, p.296-312 (2013), L.J.M. Davies, C. Maraston, D. Thomas, D. Capozzi, R.H. Wechsler, M.T. Busha, M. Banerji, F. Ostrovski, C. Papovich, B.X. Santiago, R. Nichol, M.A.G. Maia, L.N. da Costa
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 431, Issue 2, p.1383-1397 (2013), D. Thomas, O. Steele, C. Maraston, J. Johansson , A. Beifiori, J. Pforr, G. Strombaeck, C.A. Tremonti, D. Wake, D. Bizyaev, A. Bolton, H. Brewington, J.R. Brownstein, J. Comparat, J.P. Kneib, E. Malanushenko, V. Malanushenko, D. Oravetz, K. Pan, J.K. Parejko, D. P. Schneider, A. Shelden, A. Simmons, S. Snedden, M. Tanaka , B.A. Weaver, R. Yan
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 421, Issue 3, pp. 1908-1926 (2012), Jonas Johansson, Daniel Thomas, Claudia Maraston
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 415, Issue 1, pp. 545-562 (2011), J. Thomas, R. P. Saglia, R. Bender, D. Thomas, K. Gebhardt, J. Magorrian, E. M. Corsini, G. Wegner, S. Seitz

Discover our areas of expertise

Astrophysics is one of the 4 areas of expertise within the Cosmology and Astrophysics research area – explore the others here.

Theoretical cosmology

We're exploring the inflation of the very early Universe, the impact of dark energy on its geometry and developing tests to monitor its expansion.

Gravitational waves

We're detecting cosmic gravitational waves and developing gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool.

Observational Cosmology

We're mapping the Universe on the largest scales to understand dark energy, studying the clustering of galaxies and dark matter, and observing transient events and supernovae.