Dr Haley Gomez
Overview
Email:Haley.GomezTelephone:
Location:N/3.15
Research Interests
The goal of my work is to understand the formation and evolution of cosmic dust, particularly where it is formed. Cosmic dust is a nuisance to astronomers as it blocks out optical light, affecting our view of the Universe. It is also very important as dust affects star formation, stellar mass loss rates, the formation of molecular hydrogen and planets. Our latest work suggests that supernovae or their progenitor stars may be responsible for polluting the interstellar medium with lots of dust. Previously it was thought that low mass stars, which take around a billion years to evolve, were the main contributor to the dust budget. This is especially important in the early Universe where fast-lived, massive stars would be the only source of dust. We have recently been successful in obtaining a large chunk of European time on the space telescope, AKARI to observe dust in local galaxies.
Measures of Esteem
I have been invited to present my research at Buckingham Palace. I am a fellow of the Royal Commission of the Exhibition of 1851 and Higher Education Academy and part of the WISE in Wales Committee, a campaign which collaborates with industrial and academic partners to encourage UK girls to pursue STEM or construction related courses/careers (I have also been a part of the Role Model series). I am also research fellow with the Faulkes Telescope Project which aims to encourage teachers and students to engage in research-based science education using research class telescopes. In this capacity I have helped to develop science- education activities for students and teacher training activities to aid teachers (both nationwide and European) teach astronomy in the classroom. I have given a number of talks to secondary and primary schools and ran a weekly astronomy club in a local school. In 2005, I was shortlisted for the Times Higher Young Researcher of the Year Award and won the RAS Michael Penston prize for best UK thesis in Astronomy and Astrophysics. I was also runner up for the Cavendish medal (most outstanding piece of research and R and D by a younger researcher in the UK) at the SET for Britain event in the House of Commons 2005. I have refereed a number of scientific papers for journals as well as acting as referee for telescope applications and standard grant proposals.
Teaching
I am currently module organiser for PX1110: Cosmos, PX2225: Physics of Stars and PX3231: Physical Cosmology. I supervise 3rd and 4th Year project students and run tutorials for 1st and 2nd years. I have previously taught in 1st laboratory classes and PX2220: Planetary Systems. I am also the Physics' society (Chaos) staff representative.
Publications
Gomez, H. L.; Vlahakis C., Stretch C., Dunne L., Eales S.A., Beelen A., Gomez E.L., Edmunds M.G., Submillimetre Variability in Eta Carinae: cool dust within the outer ejecta, accepted by MNRAS Letters, 2009
Gomez, H. L.; Dunne, L.; Ivison, R. J.; Reynoso, E. M.; Thompson, M. A.; Sibthorpe, B.; Eales, S. A.; Delaney, T. M.; Maddox, S.; Isaak, K., Accounting for the foreground contribution to the dust emission towards Kepler's supernova remnant, MNRAS, 397, 1621, 2009
Rho, J.; Jarrett, T. H.; Reach, W. T.; Gomez, H.; Andersen, M., Carbon Monoxide in the Cassiopeia a Supernova Remnant, ApJ, 693, 39L, 2009
Dunne L., Maddox S.J., Ivison R.J., Rudnick L.R., DeLaney T.M., Matthews B.C., Crowe, C. M.; Gomez, H. L.; Eales, S. A.; Dye, S., Cassiopeia A: Dust Factory Revealed via Submillimetre Polarimetry, MNRAS, 394, 1307, 2009
Smith J.D.T, Rudnick L., DeLaney T., Rho J., Gomez H., Takashi K., Reach W., Spitzer Spectral Mapping of Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A, ApJ, 693, 713, 2008
Rho J., Kozasa, T., Reach W., Smith J.D., Rudnick L., Delaney, T., Ennis J., Gomez, H., Tappe A., Freshly Formed Dust in the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant as revealed by Spitzer, 2008, ApJ, 673, 271
Haley Gomez, Stephen Eales & Loretta Dunne, 2007, Smoking supernovae, International Journal of Astrobiology, vol.6, no.2, p. 159-167
Haley Gomez, Find Your Own Voice, 2006, Astronomy & Geophysics,Vol. 47, 5, 5.26
Gomez H.L, Dunne L., Eales S., Edmunds MG., 2006, Submillimetre Emission from Eta Carinae, MNRAS, 361, 1012
Ennis J., Rudnick L., Reach W., Smith J.D., Delaney T., Gomez H., Kozasa T., 2006, Spitzer IRAC images and Sample Spectra of Cassiopeia A's Explosion, ApJ, 652, 376
Gomez H., Dunne L., Eales S., Gomez E., Edmunds M.G., Iron Needles in Supernova Remnants, 2005, MNRAS, 361, 1012
Dunne L., Morgan H., Eales S., Ivison R.J., Edmunds M.G., Dust Production in Supernovae, 2004, New Astron. Revs. 48, 611
Morgan H., Dunne L., Eales S., Ivison R.J., Edmunds M.G., Cold Dust in Kepler's Supernova Remnant, 2003, ApJL, 597, 33
Dunne L., Eales S., Ivison R.J., Morgan H., Edmunds M.G., Type II Supernovae as a Significant Source of Interstellar dust, 2003, Nature, 424, 285
Morgan H., Edmunds M.G., Dust Formation in Early Galaxies, 2003, MNRAS, 343, 427
Biography
I obtained my first degree from Cardiff University in 2001 and stayed on to do my PhD with Prof Mike Edmunds and Prof Steve Eales, awarded in 2004. I obtained a fellowship with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to carry out post-doctoral research during 2004-2005. I then was hired here at Cardiff as a fixed term lecturer in 2006.