department of physics and astronomy

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

Professor Bob Warwick

Head of Department

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Astrophysics & Space Science Research at Leicester

• First sounding rocket experiment – 1961

• Development of an internationally competitive research programme

in: X-ray Astronomy

• Involvement in highly successful missions such as: Ariel V, Einstein, EXOSAT, Ginga, ROSAT, Chandra, XMM

• Parallel Developments in: Radio & Space Plasma Physics, Theoretical Astrophysics

• The Queen’s Anniversary Prize 1994

“A world-class teaching, research and consultancy programme in astronomy, space and planetary science”

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Astrophysics & Space Science Cont.

• Purpose-built Space Research Centre (SRC) opened in 1998

• Second phase of SRC building opened 2002

Department of Physics and Astronomy

ASTRONOMY, ASTROPHYSICS & SPACE SCIENCE RESEARCH IN THE

DEPARTMENT

• Theoretical Astrophysics Group

• Radio and Space Plasma Physics Group

• X-ray and Observational Astronomy Group

• Space Research Group

(Instrumentation, Earth Observation Science, Space Projects)

Department of Physics and Astronomy

The Scale of the PPARC Programme at Leicester

Academic staff engaged on PPARC programmes 20New academic posts 7

SRIF2: SRIF2: Computing/Instrumentation Computing/Instrumentation £1.7 million £1.7 million

Research staff engaged on PPARC programmes 60Clerical /Technical Support Staff 20

26 PPARC grants £17.7 million

Postgraduate students 30

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Major PPARC Research Projects in the Department

• EPIC instrument on XMM-Newton (ESA PI)

• XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre (ESA PI)

• HF Radar, SPEAR on Svalbard

• Host of UKAFF Supercomputer

• Major role in AstroGrid (e-science)

• Instruments for Swift, JWST and Bepi-Columbo

The Radio and Space Plasma Physics Group’s new SPEAR (Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar) facility on

Svalbard.

Wave-wave interactions stimulated by SPEAR

Beagle 2 Instrument

Development in the SRC

PLANETARY EXPLORATION Cassini at Saturn

BepiColombo at Mercury

Department of Physics and Astronomy

A Neutron Star/Black Hole Encounter

Accreting Black-holes in the Nearby Galaxy M101

OPTICAL X-RAY

Subaru /XMM-Newton Deep Field

OPTICAL X-RAY