Time domain astrophysics
Involved in major observational survey projects
Working on a variety of explosive transients, including galactic and extragalactic novae, type Ia supernovae, core collapse supernovae, and gamma rays bursts.
Our research spans observations of the outbursts of these systems, the resulting remnants, their galactic environments, population statistics, and their progenitors. Theoretically, we investigate and model the fundamental mechanisms driving these phenomena.
The fully robotic Liverpool Telescope is the workhorse facility of the group. Members are also involved in:
Major international observational survey projects such as:
- Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO): One of two currently running public spectroscopic surveys at the European Southern Observatory. These surveys are discovering new classes of transients that challenge our ideas of the physics of the explosions.
Partnerships:
- Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF): A fully-automated, wide-field survey for a systematic exploration of the optical transient sky. The project has achieved significant successes in the early discovery and rapid follow-up studies of transient sources.
- Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCGOT): An integrated set of robotic telescopes, distributed around the world. The network currently includes two 2-meter telescopes, sited in Hawaii and eastern Australia, nine 1-meter telescopes, sited in Chile, South Africa, eastern Australia, and Texas, and three 0.4-meter telescopes, sited in Chile and the Canary Islands.
Observing programmes:
- Swift: The first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science. Its three instruments work together to observe GRBs and their afterglows at gamma-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet (UV), and optical wavelengths.
People
Meet the members of this research group:
