The Sun’s magnetic field flips every eleven years, triggering sunspot cycles that can knock out satellites and power grids—and no one fully understands why. This research programme uses computer simulations and mathematical models to unpick how magnetic fields, rotation, and fluid flows interact inside stars, planets, and neutron stars. The team will tackle six linked problems, from how the Sun generates its magnetic field to how relativistic jets form around black holes. This is fundamental science: there is no immediate practical application. But the same kind of work that once explained why compass needles point north now underpins GPS timing corrections and space weather forecasting. A better grasp of magnetic field generation in stars could eventually improve predictions of solar storms that threaten communications and electricity networks. Understanding tidal effects on planetary orbits sharpens models of exoplanet habitability. And neutron star magnetic field decay feeds into gravitational wave astronomy. The payoff is not a product—it is a more reliable map of how the universe works.
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Many astrophysical phenomena involve the complex interaction between magnetic fields, rotation and fluid flows. We intend to undertake a systematic and integrated programme of research to investigate this complex interaction in a wide variety of astrophysical objects. We shall utilise a combination of analytical and numerical techniques (including the application of cutting edge numerical algorithms optimised for use on massively parallel machines) to gain an understanding of such phenomena. Our unifying philosophy is to investigate the underlying fundamental physical interactions in these astrophysical fluids and to use expertise gained in one area in order to make progress on different objects that have the same underlying physical structures. The physical phenomena that we shall address are: (1) The generation of magnetic fields in the Sun, including the formation of the well-known eleven year sunspot cycle. (2) The formation of sunspots and the link with the magnetic fields in the solar corona. (3) The generation of magnetic fields in planets. (4) The evolution of planetary orbital dynamics and the importance of tidal effects. (5) The decay of magnetic fields and the thermal structure of neutron stars. (6) The dynamics of relativistic jets.
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