A Programme of Technology, Astrophysics and Cosmology in Cardiff 2019-22

Astronomers in Cardiff are building the world’s most sensitive detectors for very long infrared wavelengths, using custom-designed “metamaterials” rather than relying on naturally occurring minerals and plastics. This programme combines observations from ground and space-based telescopes with theoretical simulations to understand how stars and planets form, how galaxies evolve, and what the polarisation of the Cosmic Microwave Background reveals about the early Universe. The core gap is that current detectors cannot capture these faint, long-wavelength signals with enough sensitivity to answer these fundamental questions. If the technology succeeds, it will first enable new astrophysical discoveries—mapping star birth across cosmic time and testing models of the Universe’s infancy. But the detectors and metamaterials also have potential applications outside astronomy, including in security scanners and biomedical imaging. This is primarily curiosity-driven fundamental science. Past work on similar detector technology has led to unexpected spin-offs in medical diagnostics and security; the same could happen here, though the immediate goal is to see deeper into the cosmos.