The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics is using radio waves to track how the Universe has evolved from the Big Bang to the present day. Radio emission reveals phenomena invisible to optical telescopes—ionised plasmas around black holes, the faint afterglow of the Big Bang, and the spinning cores of dead stars called pulsars. The researchers are surveying the sky with telescopes including Planck, the Lovell Telescope, and the e-Merlin array, and they are also developing cryogenically cooled amplifiers and low-noise detectors for future instruments. This is fundamental science: it addresses the gap in our understanding of how galaxies form, how black holes drive energetic jets, and how supernovae enrich space with dust and molecules. The work is directly aimed at the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the next-generation radio telescope in which the UK has a leading role. There is no immediate practical application. But similar fundamental radio astronomy research in the past led to technologies behind Wi-Fi, GPS, and medical imaging. A deeper map of the radio Universe could, over decades, yield unforeseen tools for communications, navigation, or precision timing.
View original technical description
The Universe is a state of continuous evolution. This started with the Big Bang, and the small irregularities which later grew into clusters, galaxies, and stars. Large black holes formed at the centre of the galaxies. Infall of gas into the central black holes leads to highly energetic jets. Stars interact with their surroundings through winds, and for massive stars, through explosions at the end of their lives. The ejecta enrich the galaxies with new elements, molecules and dust. The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics studies the various phases of evolution especially through radio emission. Radio emission traces ionized plasmas which are found in high energy environments, The irregularities of the Big Bang are studied through the cosmic microwave radio emission. Galaxies emit radio emission and these are used to trace their evolution, from formation to star bursts. The cores of massive stars, left after their supernova explosions, emit radio pulses. The radio emissions are detected using a variety of telescopes. The Planck Space Telescope observes the cosmic microwave background. The Lovell Telescope detects the emission from pulsars. The e-Merlin array resolves the emission from individual galaxies. The research is supported by an active technology program. We develop cyogenically cooled amplifiers, and low noise detectors at high and low frequencies, both for space telescopes and ground-based. Much of our research is based on wide area surveys. In addition to radio surveys, we also make use of high resolution optical surveys. Gravity is an important focus for our research. The bending of light and radio waves can be used to detect material otherwise invisible. We use this to detect planets in the outer regions of the stellar systems. Gravitational waves can be detected through the long-term monitoring of pulsars. The research in this grant covers cosmology, from the origin of large-scale structure in the Universe to the formation of cluster of galaxies, Pulsars, both as objects in their own right and as tracers of gravity, Dust and molecules in the interstellar medium, and finally a vigorous program of development of radio technology. The future of radio astronomy is the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), in which the UK has a leading role. The research of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics is directed towards the SKA. Over the next three years, we will continue our study of the radio Universe at all scales. The SKA will bring this to fruition, and provide a unique tracer of the continuing evolution of the Universe.
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