Description
Organisers: Martin Barstow, Giulio Del Zanna
Important scientific advances in astrophysics often depend on combining specialised observations with state-of-the-art theoretical models. This requires new missions and instruments (space/ground-based) targeted on specific science goals. Such facilities need a supporting infrastructure and a critical mass of well-trained researchers, without which the science outcomes cannot be achieved.
We propose a forum for the presentation and discussion of new missions and facilities covering the wide astrophysics and planetary science interests of the UK community. Importantly, we will also address their requirements for multi-disciplinary support, covering a diverse range of topics including new technologies, laboratory astrophysics, computational needs and data analysis tools to ensure that the UK benefits fully from its investments. We will also look at training requirements for young researchers, e.g. developing new skills (e.g. AI, machine learning, code development) or recovering historically important, but neglected, underpinning knowledge (e.g. atomic and molecular physics – measurements and theory, physics modelling including radiative transfer). This key support and training is often neglected in facility planning.
Traditionally, NAM sessions are organised by science subject. However, facilities and infrastructure typically encompass many research areas and the problems often overlap. We will address shared problems spanning disciplines to the benefit of the astronomical and planetary science community at large. The meeting will be structured in a way that promotes discussion with a panel of selected experts, introduced by a number of contributed / keynote talks. The programme will include any new facilities that are being proposed or are approved and under development.
Accurate modelling of the solar atmosphere is essential for understanding the energy flow and build-up that underpins the heating of the solar chromosphere and corona, and drives eruptions and flares. Such a model would need to be able to capture the fundamental physical, radiative and ionisation states of the vastly different atmospheric layers of the Sun and the complex coupling between...
The Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) aims to be a sustainable, upgradeable, multipurpose facility that will deliver orders of magnitude increases in sensitivity and mapping speeds over current and planned sub-mm telescopes. With its 50m dish and 2 degree field of view, the strength of AtLAST is in science where a large field of view, highly multiplexed instrumentation...
The international solar physics community currently enjoys access to a broad range of world-leading ground and space-based facilities in which the UK plays major hardware and science leadership roles (e.g. STEREO, Hinode, DKIST and Solar Orbiter (EUI, SPICE, SWA and MAG). UK leadership through these existing missions and facilities has led to significant roles (science and instrumentation) for...
SIRIUS is a small space science mission designed to study the environment surrounding our Sun and nearby stars in the Galaxy, out to distance of 100-200 parsecs. The scientific programme will be executed by a high-resolution (resolving power of 5000) extreme ultraviolet spectrograph covering the wavelength range 170-260Å.
The mission has been funded by the UK Space Agency as part of their...
We present updates on the design process for the STFC DiRAC-4 facility, including the Science Case, Technical Case, and the user engagement process.
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) operates the La Silla and Paranal observatories, and we are constructing the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) on Cerro Armazones. ESO has offices in Garching, Munich, Germany and also Vitacura, Santiago, Chile. The Office for Science (OfS) in Chile coordinates the research activities of around 100 astronomers on the ESO-JAO campus in Santiago. We offer...
High resolution X-ray spectra are key to understanding the dynamics of hot gas. I will review some of the new results from the JAXA/NASA/ESA calorimeter XRISM/Resolve, which give the first high sensitivity/high resolution spectra above 6 keV. I will focus on the winds associated with accretion flows in strong gravity, the ultrafast outflows seen from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) which may be a...
Accurate atomic data are a cornerstone of astrophysical research - vital for interpreting the spectral analyses that drive our understanding of the Universe. Despite their importance, much of the atomic database (especially for elements beyond the iron group) remains based on measurements from the 1960s or earlier, which now fall far short of current, high-accuracy demands. The weakest link in...
I summarise the UK APAP work led by N.R.Badnell to provide atomic data for astrophysics and my efforts to preserve some of them for posterity.
The UK was at the forefront in this area internationally but has entered a dark age.
I will then outline the status and the programme of benchmarking them against high-resolution astrophysical and laboratory spectra, in preparation for future...
Radiative Transfer is an essential cornerstone of astronomy, as it provides a framework to interpret observations and confront models. In many cases simplifying assumptions can be employed, however in the general case where radiation forms outside of local thermodynamic equilibrium, including optical depth effects and detailed atomic physics, the problem represents both a significant...
