Research Areas
The group are currently working in a number of research areas:
Cosmic Wave Background (CMB)
The CMB is thought to be the cooled remnant of the light from the Big Bang. Although predicted as early as 1948 it was not until 1965 that the CMB radiation was first detected (and then only by accident). Matter in the early Universe, up until about 300,000 years after the Big Bang, could not exist as neutral atoms - the temperature would have been too high.
Observational Cosmology
The "Standard Cosmological Model" can be reduced to a number of defining characteristics and the Planck mission will help improve our understanding of the birth, and evolution, of the Universe. Through the observations made by Planck, we may work towards a more complete understanding of the Universe around us.
Active Galactic Nuclei and Jets
The Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) group is mainly interested in studying the variability of blazars. These are objects which have symmetrical jet-lobe structures that extend up to kpc scales at right angles to the central black-hole/accretion disk region, and whose orientation is such that we are looking directly, or almost directly, down one of the jet.
We also work within Star Formation and Earth Observing research areas, and our students are working on a range of projects. Our Research & Development areas include Cryogenics, Detectors, and Quasi Optics.