Although it may appear extreme for most of the Milky Way, the star formation that occurs in the centre of our galaxy is thought to be typical of the conditions under which most stars in the Universe are formed; the high densities, harsh radiation fields and strong magnetic fields appear to provide a more hostile environment to the relatively tame conditions found in star-forming clouds near the Sun. Yet not only is the galactic centre host to the Milky Way's largest cluster, we know from observations of other galaxies that these extreme environments are often where much of the star formation is taking place.
How star formation proceeds under such conditions is extremely unclear, and in particular, we know very little about the efficiency at which the clouds of cold, dense gas are turned into stars. Processes such as photoionisation feedback from young stars will be less effective at disrupting star formation than they would be in nearby star-forming regions, whereas the supernovae (SNe) that accompany stellar death may be more effective. It is also unclear what role the strong magnetic fields and high cosmic ray flux plays in regulating the star formation process.
The
PhD student will explore star formation under galactic centre (or
"star-burst") conditions, by performing a series of physics-rich
computer simulations with the Astrophysical magneto-hydrodynamics code, Arepo
(https://arepo-code.org). Our group's own version of the code has been
heavily modified to include chemistry, ISM heating and cooling, cosmic ray
transport, SNe, and photoionisation from massive stars. The student will look
at various aspects of the star formation, such as the clustering of young
stars, the distribution of masses and the efficiency at which the gas in
turned into stars. This work will help inform subgrid models for star
formation in larger scale galaxy-formation studies, and thus be of wide
interest to the astrophysical community. The student will pick up a variety of skills, including detailed of ISM physics and star formation, as well as transferable experience in running large-scale computer simulations, computational fluid dynamics and radiative transfer.
Some further reading that describes our group's modelling capabilities in Arepo is given below in the references section
Eligibility
The typical academic requirement is a minimum of a 2:1 physics and astronomy or a relevant discipline.
Applicants whose first language is not English are normally expected to meet the minimum University requirements (e.g. 6.5 IELTS) (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/international/english-language-requirements)
Applicants should apply to the Doctor of Philosophy in Physics and Astronomy with a start date of 1st October 2022.
Applicants should submit an application for postgraduate study via the Cardiff University webpages (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research/programmes/programme/physics-and-astronomy) including:
• your academic CV
• a personal statement/covering letter
• two references, at least one of which should be academic
• Your degree certificates and transcripts to date.
In the "Research Proposal" section of your application, please specify the project title and supervisors of this project. You can apply for up to three of our advertised STFC projects by listing them in order of preference in the freetext area of the "Research Proposal" section of the online application form.
In the funding section, please select that you will not be self funding and write that the source of funding will be STFC.
Once the deadline for applications has passed we will review your application and advise your within a few weeks if you have been shortlisted for an interview.