Recipient organisationCardiff UniversitySource-published name: Cardiff University
Funding£3.2M
PeriodMar 2016 — Sept 2019
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Astronomers in Cardiff are building detectors sensitive enough to capture the faintest infrared light from the birth of stars and planets across the universe. This programme combines observations from ground and space telescopes with computer simulations to answer two fundamental questions: how do stars and planets form, and how do galaxies evolve over cosmic time? The team is also developing the world’s most sensitive detectors for very long infrared wavelengths, using engineered "metamaterials" designed for optimal performance rather than relying on natural minerals or plastics. If successful, the technology could find uses far beyond astronomy. The same detectors and imaging systems could improve security scanners and biomedical imaging, for example. The team also plans to develop a capability to obtain a spectrum for every point in a large-area sky image—essential for measuring how far away distant objects are and understanding the gas conditions within them. This is primarily fundamental science, driven by curiosity about how the universe works. Past investments in similar detector technology have led to unexpected applications in medicine and security, and this work could follow a similar path.
View original technical description
We propose a programme of Astrophysics, Cosmology and Technology development for Astrophysics and Cosmology, to investigate star and planet formation in our own and other galaxies, and how galaxies form and evolve. This programme will combine observational data from world-class ground and space-based observatories, as well as theoretical modelling and simulations of the processes that result in the Universe we observe around us. We will also continue to develop the world's most sensitive detectors for very long infrared wavelengths, along with associated optical components utilising 'metamaterials' the class of materials designed and manufactured by human beings to have the properties best suited to their task, rather than relying on naturally occurring minerals and plastics. Both of these areas of technology development potentially have wide applications outside of Astronomy, in areas such as security scanners and bio-medical imaging for example. The technologies used for imaging can also be extended to undertake spectroscopy, and we propose a programme to develop the capability to obtain a spectrum of every point in a large area image of the sky, which is essential for understanding how far away the objects found in deep surveys are, but also what the conditions in the gas that make up these objects are.
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know