Search Publications
The suppression of star formation by powerful active galactic nuclei
Altieri, B.; Aussel, H.; Elbaz, D. +75 more
The old, red stars that constitute the bulges of galaxies, and the massive black holes at their centres, are the relics of a period in cosmic history when galaxies formed stars at remarkable rates and active galactic nuclei (AGN) shone brightly as a result of accretion onto black holes. It is widely suspected, but unproved, that the tight correlat…
A massive, cooling-flow-induced starburst in the core of a luminous cluster of galaxies
Gladders, M. D.; Veilleux, S.; Rest, A. +83 more
In the cores of some clusters of galaxies the hot intracluster plasma is dense enough that it should cool radiatively in the cluster's lifetime, leading to continuous `cooling flows' of gas sinking towards the cluster centre, yet no such cooling flow has been observed. The low observed star-formation rates and cool gas masses for these `cool-core'…
Rapid disappearance of a warm, dusty circumstellar disk
Zuckerman, B.; Murphy, Simon J.; Song, Inseok +3 more
Stars form with gaseous and dusty circumstellar envelopes, which rapidly settle into disks that eventually give rise to planetary systems. Understanding the process by which these disks evolve is paramount in developing an accurate theory of planet formation that can account for the variety of planetary systems discovered so far. The formation of …
Comet-like mineralogy of olivine crystals in an extrasolar proto-Kuiper belt
Waters, L. B. F. M.; Ivison, R. J.; Blommaert, J. A. D. L. +20 more
Some planetary systems harbour debris disks containing planetesimals such as asteroids and comets. Collisions between such bodies produce small dust particles, the spectral features of which reveal their composition and, hence, that of their parent bodies. A measurement of the composition of olivine crystals (Mg2-2xFe2xSiO