Physics & Astrophysics

I obtained my first degree, in Physics, from the University of Wales in 1968, and my PhD in Astrophysics (also University of Wales) in 1972. I am head of the Physics and Astrophysics section of the School and a member of the Astrophysics research group. I also deal with undergraduate admissions into Physics and Astrophysics, and with postgraduate research matters for the EPSAM research institute.

My research interests are primarily in (a) the evolution of explosively variable stars called novae, which I observe at infrared wavelengths, and (b) the end-points of stellar evolution. This work in done in collaboration with astronomers in the USA (University of Minnesota, Arizona State, Gemini Observatory Hawaii, Aerospace Corporation) as well as with workers in the UK.

• Novae, which we are observing at infrared wavelengths using UKIRT, NASA's Spitzer Observatory and a range of other telescopes in a collaboration that involves about 20 astronomers in the UK, Europe and the USA.
• Born-again' systems  like 'Sakurai's Object', and the utterly weird V838 Mon and its friends and relations, whatever they may be. We are also observing these with UKIRT, Spitzer and the JCMT.
• The interstellar medium in globular clusters, in which we are searching for gas, dust, Ford Cortinas, wasps, anything that should be there but doesn't seem to be....
• Mapping the Galactic plane at sub-mm wavelengths, using the SCUBA instrument on the JCMT. This is also a large collaboration, involving about 15 astronomers from the UK, Europe, Canada and the USA. The regions we are surveying include cold quiescent clouds, active star-forming regions and inter-arm material, and provide an unbiased census of matter in the interstellar medium. We are combining our 850µm SCUBA data with data from the 4-26µm Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) survey and 13CO data from the Boston University/Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Galactic Ring Survey (GRS).

See my home page for further details

• PHY-20026 Statistical Mechanics and Solid State Physics
• PHY-30002 Physics of the Interstellar Medium
• Physics Enhancement Course Unit 7 (Astronomy and Cosmology)