Supervisor: Chris Watson

Of the ~9000 stars visible to the naked eye, almost half of these are binaries. In turn, half of these consist of interacting binaries where the component stars are unable to evolve normally without being influenced by the companion. It is these binaries that form some of the most exotic inhabitants in our Universe, including systems where a normal cool star is cannibalised by a nearby compact object such as a white dwarf, neutron star or even a black-hole. Furthermore, interacting binaries provide spectacular laboratories in which to study the phenomenon of accretion, a ubiquitous yet poorly understood astrophysical process required to drive galaxy formation, build planetary systems, and forge the creation of super-massive black-holes.

It is the cool stars in these binaries that are key to our understanding of their origin, evolution and behaviour. For several years I have worked on developing `indirect imaging' techniques to produce maps of the surfaces of these stars in 3D. These techniques are akin to medical cat-scans, and use spectra to resolve features at micro-arcsecond scales (equivalent to the width of the head of a matchstick on the moon) which cannot be obtained directly - even using the world's largest telescopes. These unique images have revealed the presence of giant spots on the surfaces of these stars, as well as sites of intense irradiation from the nearby compact companion.

The aim of this project is to apply indirect imaging techniques to produce 3D maps of the cool stars in interacting binaries in unparalleled detail. These maps will then allow us to investigate the properties of these stars, and determine how they dictate the evolution, behaviour and accretion dynamics of interacting binaries. Furthermore, the maps will be used to study stellar magnetic activity, and how extreme environmental conditions impact stellar structure. While this project will be largely observational, a willingness to program is essential (although no prior experience is required).

Skills: This PhD offers the opportunity to master techniques such as astro-tomography, as well as photometric and spectroscopic data reduction, that is highly sought after in many areas of astronomical research. In addition, the student will obtain an understanding of stellar magnetic activity, accretion and binary star evolution. Since the project is international in nature, with participants from the Universities of Sheffield, Warwick, as well as the IAC (based in the Canary Islands, Spain), the successful student will also be expected to build strong research links with other researchers.

Training: A physics graduate would be required to attend the Level 4 Astrophysics module. All students will undertake the ARC training programme, including participating in the STFC Summer School, a literature review, and attendance at the ARC seminar series. Over the last 4 years, this project has been awarded 57 nights of telescope time, 29 of these on 4-8m class telescopes. It is expected that the student will undertake at least two observing trips to major, world-class telescope facilities, and will attend at least one international conference.

This project is under the supervision of Dr. Chris Watson.

Supervisors: Alan Fitzsimmons

This PhD is under the supervision of Professor Alan Fitzsimmons in the Astrophysics Research Centre. We are performing a long-term programme that focuses on the determination of the physical nature and composition of asteroids and comets. Using ground-based telescopes we are able to measure many properties such as size, shape, rotation rate and spectral classification. Derivation of these properties allows us to study both individual objects, and by comparing different populations leads to a greater understanding of the formation and evolution of comets and asteroids. Recent highlights have been the characterisation of distant cometary nuclei (Snodgrass et al., MNRAS vol. 385, p.737, 2008) and the first detection of the YORP effect (Lowry et al., Science vol. 316, p. 272, 2007).

The successful PhD student may work on one of two current studies. The first is the observation of extremely close Near-Earth Objects with Adaptive Optics facilities, to search for binary systems and hence obtain constraints on internal densities and structure. The second is spectroscopic reconnaissance of small Near-Earth Objects, to test current models of their origin and evolution. This research is observationally led, with time being awarded competitively during the past year on telescopes that include the 8.0m Gemini-North, the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope and the 3.5m New Technology Telescope. In 2009 we will begin observing objects discovered by the new Pan-STARRS1 facility, in which QUB astronomers are partners.

Skills: The successful student will obtain skills in working with and analysing a variety of astronomical datasets, signal processing, computer programming and understanding of planetary system evolution.

Training: A physics graduate would be required to attend the Level 4 Astrophysics module. All students will undertake the ARC training programme, including participating in the STFC Summer School, a literature review and attendance at the ARC seminar series. It is expected that the student will undertake at least two observing trips to major international facilities to obtain experience in the use of front-line astronomical telescopes, and will attend at least one international conference.

For further details contact Alan Fitzsimmons.

Supervisors: Prof. F.P. Keenan, Dr. M. Mathioudakis

The Sun is the most important astronomical object for humankind, with solar activity having a major effect on solar climate and communications. It is also now widely appreciated that over 70 per cent of the stars in our Galaxy exhibit solar-like activity. Many of the processes that occur on the Sun and similar stars are believed to be driven by the same physics, operating with different boundary conditions.

The outer atmospheres of these objects are magnetically heated to temperatures as high as 10,000,000 K. The degree of activity depends strongly on age, with young stars being more active. Studying stars of different activity levels therefore allows us predict the levels of solar activity in the years to come.

Flares on the Sun and other stars are one of the greatest manifestations of magnetic activity. Although solar and stellar flares are believed to be similar in their origin and development, stellar flares can be as much as 10,000 times more energetic than their solar counterparts. To understand how they manage to reach such high temperatures we need to study the emission from their outer layers.

It is generally believed tha the emission from the outer atmosphere of the Sun and similar stars is optically thin. However, we have recently shown that under certain physical conditions, some photons may be scattered in or out of the observer's line-of-sight, thus increasing or decreasing the number of photons that are ultimately seen by the observer. Estimating the amount of photons that are gained or lost from the line-of-sight allows us to determine the spatial characteristics of the outer atmospheres of cool stars, which cannot be otherwise spatially resolved.

The PhD project will involve reducing and analysing ultraviolet and X-ray emission-line spectra of both the Sun and similar stars, to search for deviations of the line emission from the predicted optically thin value. In addition, the student will use this information to model the spatial distribution of the emission and compare with theory. Solar observations will come from the SOHO and Hinode satellites, while stellar data will be from the FUSE and HST satellites.

The project will allow the student to acquire the following skills: stellar astrophysics; understanding of astrophysical processes; computer programming; spectroscopic analysis techniques.

Other relevant information: This project involves a collaboration among QUB, Imperial College London and California State University, Northridge. The research student will be required to travel to these locations to work with collaborators; all expenses will be fully covered by QUB.

For futher information contact either Prof Francis Keenan or Dr Mihalis Mathioudakis.

Supervisors: Prof. S. Smartt, Dr. R. Kotak

Supernovae are spectacular events - the death throes of stars that can be seen across the Universe. They radiate across the whole electromagnetic spectrum from radio to gamma-rays, and often outshine their host galaxies. These gigantic explosions offer the prospect of studying, in real time, a variety of exotic combustion, hydrodynamic, nuclear and atomic processes. Supernovae come in two flavours: thermonuclear and core-collapse. The former are believed to result in binary star systems containing a white dwarf and a companion. Core-collapse supernovae occur when a star that is at least 8 times as massive as our Sun has exhausted its nuclear fuel and can no longer support itself against the inward pull of gravity. They leave behind neutron stars or black holes.

Both types of supernovae are cosmic recycling plants: all elements in the Universe heavier than hydrogen and helium are created either in the cores of stars (by nuclear fusion) or in supernova explosions. They disperse this enriched material into their surroundings from which new generations of stars form, and the cycle begins anew. Supernovae thus play a key role in driving the physical and chemical evolution of galaxies. However, we know little about the properties of the stars that explode as supernovae.

The Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen's has recently joined the Pan-STARRS project. The Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System) project is a novel telescope located in Hawaii which will scan the entire sky once every 2-3 weeks to unprecedented depth. It will be a leading facility for supernovae science when it begins full survey operations in 2009. The Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen's is leading one of the Key Science projects which will discover thousands of supernovae over the lifetime of Pan-STARRS.

The sheer number of supernovae that will be detected by Pan-STARRS will inevitably yield rare and unique events. The all-sky nature of the survey means it will find explosions of stars in faint, metal poor galaxies which are the closest analogues of the first galaxies formed at high redshift.It will also discover the faintest supernovae, which may be linked to black-hole formation and the brightest ones which may require new physical mechanisms to understand their energies. The student will optimize methods for extracting supernova discoveries from Pan-STARRS, and will play an important role in the follow-up observations of interesting supernovae with other telescopes. The results are expected to include a better understanding of the physical conditions in the progenitor stars and test theories of stellar evolution, including the formation of compact remnants (i.e. neutron stars or black holes).

Skills acquired: A diverse range of supernova research is conducted at QUB, supported through a variety of programmes at some of largest aperture telescopes in places such as Chile, Hawaii, and the Canary Islands, and space-based facilities e.g. Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes.

The student will acquire expert knowledge of supernovae, data analysis (both imaging and spectroscopic) using a variety of telescopes and observing techniques. The student play a leading role in the acquisition of data, in the analysis and publication of results. Training will be provided in the image analysis techniques required. Funding will be made available for collaborative visits, workshops, telescope trips and conferences.

Other information: The "Supernovae and Massive Stars" group at Queen's comprises 3 academic staff, 5 post-doctoral staff, and 5 PhD students, making it a leading centre for such research in the U.K., and one of the largest groups of its kind in Europe. Futher information is available on group activities.

For futher details, contact Dr. R. Kotak or Prof. S. Smartt

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