Astrophysics and Space Science

A diversity of physical experiments are trying to detect dark matter in theMilky Way in physical experiments in the Earth, assuming dark matter is made ofweakly interacting fields. In the case of haloscopes, dark matter is assumed tobe the QCD axion which, in the presence of a strong magnetic field, converts toa photon with energy equal to the total axion energy (rest mass plus kineticenergy). Therefore, the spectral line shape observed for the created photonsdepends on the velocity distribution of the dark matter in the laboratory frameof the experiment.

In this project, the student will assemble a low-cost radio telescope (a Horn antenna) on the roof of the Physics Faculty building, for future courses in radio astronomy at UB. This telescope is tailored to observe in the protected frequency band containing the HI emission line at 1.42GHz.

There are a few planetary systems already observed with JWST transmission spectra, such as TRAPPIST-1, and K2-18. As can be seen in [1,2], stellar activity (flares in particular) is the key limitation to measuring exoatmospheres of planets orbiting M dwarfs (e.g. TRAPPIST-1). This is also shown in [3].

There has been some controversy in the community when attributing signal excursions in planetary transits either to flares or starspots signatures. See for example the assigned starspot apparently mistaken in [4], which is summarized in [5].

Mars is known to have a very thin atmosphere and almost no magnetosphere.
Some of the observations have revealed the presence of greenhouse gases, such as
CH4, in the Martian atmosphere, and in a very few times although controversially,
on the surface. An example of this controversy can be found in the Curiosity CH4
surface detection [1], but not confirmed by ESA's Mars orbiters [2].
Observations of the Martian atmosphere (and its composition) taken by orbiters,
landers, and rovers are often taken to feed the models that describe exoplanets

Transient sources in the high energy (HE, GeV) and very-high energy (VHE, TeV) gamma-ray domain have turned out to be excellent laboratories to test particle acceleration, emission, and absorption processes under extreme conditions, thanks to the multiple discoveries of transient phenomena at GeV and TeV energies reported during the last decade [1].

A leading candidate to explain the existence of dark matter in the Universe is the axion, which is detectable in experiments that use resonant cavities embedded in a strong magnetic field to turn an ambient axion of the dark matter halo of the Milky Way into a resonant photon. Superconducting qubits can be used to detect these photons without absorbing them, allowing for multiple detections of the same photon with minimal noise at mK temperatures, as demonstrated by Dixit et al. 2019.

The VLA Orion A Large Survey (VOLS) large project will perform the deepest survey at subarcsecond resolution of the Orion A molecular cloud with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (PI: G. Busquet, see  https://vols.fqa.ub.edu).  The superb sensitivity of the VLA combined with the large field of view of VOLS (~1 deg x 0.5 deg) requires a new strategy to identify regions of line emission. The VOLS project includes the emission lines of OH and CH3OH masers, 18 Hydrogen Radio Recombination lines and the line thermal emission of HC5N and SO molecules.

cOrion A is the nearest star-forming complex containing a broad range of environments populated by protostars and Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) with different masses and evolutionary stages, representing a testbed for star formation theories. The VLA Orion A Large Survey (VOLS, PI: G. Busquet; see https://vols.fqa.ub.edu) large project has been granted with 306 hours of observing time with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array to perform the deepest survey at subarcsecond resolution of the Orion A molecular cloud.

The formation process of stellar cluster requires a high degree of cloud fragmentation. Both simulations and observations show that cloud fragmentation leading to the formation of stellar cluster is controlled by a complex interaction of gravitational instability, turbulence, magnetic fields, cloud rotation, and stellar feedback. The infrared dark cloud G14.225-0.506 hosts two hubs harbouring two deeply embedded protoclusters.