MSc by Research (Astrophysics)

Supervisors: Dr. Mark A. Norris, Dr. Megan Argo

UCLan’s Alston Observatory is one of the best equipped observatories in the UK. The observatory hosts a suite of telescopes including:

• 70cm Moses Holden Telescope
• 15 inch Grubb Astrograph
• 35cm fully robotic wide-field survey telescope

We have several projects if you are interested in getting hand-on experience in the design and construction of astronomical instrumentation. These include (but are not limited to): 

1. Designing and constructing a simple fibre fed integral field spectrograph for the Moses Holden Telescope, using a state-of-the-art volume phase holographic grating and optical fibre bundle.
2. Conducting a site survey for radio frequency interference at Alston.
3. Designing and constructing a simple radio telescope at Alston.
4. Designing and constructing a simple robotic solar telescope.

Projects like these would be ideal if you are wishing to develop skills in:

• Engineering
• Project managing
• 3D printing and manufacturing
• Software interfacing

The exact mix of skills will depend on your project and preferences. 

For more information on this project please contact Dr Mark Norris.

Supervisor: Dr. Anne E. Sansom (Reader in Astrophysics, JHI, UCLan) 

Ratios of element abundances observed in the spectra of galaxies are sensitive to the duration of star formation in the histories of those galaxies. Supernovae produce heavy elements on different timescales, which makes element abundance ratios sensitive to stellar population history. A previous postgraduate project led by this supervisor resulted in new stellar libraries of theoretical and semi-empirical star spectra (see Figure for examples), which can be combined into stellar population models for measuring abundances (Knowles et al. 2021, MNRAS, 504, 2286).

This current project applies our new stellar libraries to make measurements from galaxy spectra. Your work will involve programming, data analysis and plotting of diagnostic diagrams to compare different samples of galaxies. Our understanding of galaxy evolution is undergoing rapid changes thanks to new surveys of galaxies. More accurate modelling of spectroscopic observations is an important aspect for improving our understanding by learning the most from observations.

Supervisor: Dr. Mark A. Norris 

The Moses Holden Telescope located at UCLan’s Alston Observatory is one of the largest (70cm diameter mirror) and most powerful in the UK. It can simultaneously image a region of 0.66 x 0.66 degrees, and is fitted with a set of filters capable of observing light from the UV to the near-infrared.

It is a perfect tool for those interested in undertaking a hands-on research project in astrophysics. Several successful postgraduate research projects have already utilised the MHT to conduct an ongoing survey of the stellar variability (including searching for transiting exoplanets) of a sample of 80,000+ stars, as well as a study of the structure of the local group spiral galaxy Messier 33.

Some other possible projects are outlined below, but this list is not exhaustive, if you have an area of astrophysical research that interests you we can work to define a research question for you to examine.

Possible research projects utilising the MHT:

1) Surveys of stellar variability (including exoplanet transits).

2) Characterising known exoplanets based on their transits.

3) Studies of solar system objects such as asteroids, near Earth objects or trans-Neptunian bodies.

4) Measurement of the proper motions of nearby stars.

5) Determination of the distances to objects using variable stars (e.g. Cepheids/RR Lyrae).

6) Studies of extragalactic supernovae.

For more information on this project please contact Dr Mark Norris.

Title: Examining post-solar flare magnetic structures to determine indirect estimates of the fundamental heating processes of the solar corona

Supervisor: Professor Robert W. Walsh

The Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) at an average temperature of millions of degrees is thousands of times hotter than the underlying layers (chromosphere and photosphere). This source of the required excess energy (termed the coronal heating problem) is still not fully determined but it is strongly believed that the magnetic field that threads itself through the solar atmosphere plays a significant role. In particular, the process of magnetic reconnection (where magnetic field-lines break and re-join again into simpler topologies, releasing stored magnetic energy into heat and motion) is thought to occur throughout the corona and is the powerhouse for the most significant eruptions in our solar system – solar flares.

The proposed project will research estimates for the magnetic reconnection rate by examining the evolution of post-solar flare loops throughout the solar cycle. By analysing the change in the structure as the post-flare progresses, the fundamental reconnection rate for this dynamic plasma environment can be calculated and compared with theoretical modelling. The work will involve the analysis of appropriate space-based observations (eg. NASA Solar Dynamic Observatory Atmospheric Imaging Assembly) alongside established catalogues of solar flare data to determine target flare candidates. The project will likely include collaborative discussions with partners at NASA Goddard and NASA Marshall Space Flight Centers.

 For more information on this project please contact Professor Robert W. Walsh

Supervisors: Dr Timo Laitinen, Professor Silvia Dalla

Solar eruptions release energy in many forms, including in the form of electrons and ions accelerated up to relativistic speeds. These charged particles, Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs), propagate through interplanetary space guided by the interplanetary magnetic field which has on average an Archimedean spiral shape, the Parker Spiral. As SEPs arrive at Earth, they constitute a radiation hazard to humans and technology in space and high-latitude flights. This Space Weather hazard is included in the UK National Risk Register and understanding and seeking to forecast SEP events are part of mitigating the Space Weather risk to humanity.

One of the crucial questions in understanding SEP arrival at Earth is how they propagate along and across the Parker spiral in the highly turbulent solar wind environment. Depending on your preference, you will investigate the SEP propagation either by using and developing state-of-the art SEP propagation models, or by analysing SEP events by delving into the observations of a multitude of spacecraft, including the very recent Parker Solar Probe (PSP, launched in 2018) and Solar Orbiter (SoLO, launched in 2020) space missions.

 For more information on this project please contact Dr Timo Laitinen.

Supervisor: Dr. Mark A. Norris (Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics, JHI, UCLan)

Compact Stellar Systems are amongst the oldest and densest stellar systems known. Whereas the solar neighbourhood has fewer than 1 star per cubic parsec these systems can contain millions of stars in the same volume.

Our studies have revealed that these objects, which visually look almost identical, are actually composed of two populations; 1) the extremely high mass end of the globular cluster population, far more massive than any GCs in the local group, 2) a population of former galactic nuclei left behind when their host galaxies were destroyed by a tidal interaction with a larger galaxy.

At present it is difficult to know how many of each type exist. Partly because these objects are hard to find, because they are so compact they look like stars when seen from the ground. But a new survey, the 4MOST Hemisphere Survey (4HS), will be obtaining spectra of millions of objects in the nearby Universe. This project will examine the problem of how to find these objects from imaging data, so that 4HS will be able to obtain spectra and confirm their nature.

For more information on this project please contact Dr Mark Norris.

Supervisor: Dr D. Stamatellos 

One of the most fascinating questions in modern day Astronomy is how stars and their planetary systems form. In the last couple of decades a large number of exoplanets have been discovered around distant stars, providing important clues about the planet formation process.

This project aims at understanding how planet formation happens in the discs of gas and dust around young stars. Two main theories have been proposed to explain the formation of gas giant planets: (i) core accretion, in which planetary cores form from coagulation of dust particles into progressively larger bodies, and (ii) disc fragmentation, in which giant planets form directly by the gravitational collapse of massive discs. You will investigate the disc fragmentation theory in young protostellar discs using radiative hydrodynamic simulations that include both gas and dust, so that comparisons can be made with observations from current facilities (e.g. ALMA, VLT). It is expected you will develop strong computational skills and have access to local and national supercomputing facilities.

For more information on this project please contact Dr Stamatellos.

As this is a research degree, there are no formal teaching sessions on this programme. However, you’ll undertake a range of training courses which will contribute to your personal development and enhance your research skills.

With a long-standing tradition of Astrophysics research, the Jeremiah Horrock Institute (JHI) has strong links with major international collaborations, and benefits from the High Performance Computing cluster, the Alston Observatory and various other specialised facilities.

You will benefit from specialised training via a series of JHI Postgraduate Lectures with direct link to your MSc research. This is supplemented by a centralised training and support programme from within our Graduate Research Office.

You’ll have frequent regular meetings with your Director of Studies and other members of the supervisory team. You'll also have annual monitoring from our Research Degrees Tutors to ensure that you’re supported every step of the way.