These are archived pages from 2001-2004 !

Physics Research

I am currently studying towards a PhD here at the Cavendish Laboratory, Astrophysics Group. My research is centered on:

• Mid and Far IR Astrophysics and Cosmology
• Telescope optics holography

A list of scientific papers I have been involved in is available here . I am also involved in undergraduate teaching here at the University of Cambridge. Currently I am teaching Mathematics for students of the Natural Sciences Tripos.

Mid- and Far- Infrared Astrophysics and Cosmology

I am being funded by Particle Physics And Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) to conduct research in the field of Mid- and Far IR Astrophysics and Cosmology. My interests within this field are:

• The physics of the reprocessing of radiation by dust, in particular very small grains/ PAHs. The life-cycle of dust grains. Distribution of dust in galaxies.
• Using the above to interpret Mid- and Far- IR spectral and photometric measurements of Galactic and Extra-Galactic objects, and the Cosmic IR Background. Drawing conclusions about galaxy evolution and cosmology.

I am working on these topics together with Prof. Malcolm Longair (who is my supervisor) and Dr. Paul Alexander. All this makes me a member of the Galaxy Evolution subgroup. Photo of me at work

Telescope Optics: Phase Retrieval Holography

Because the length-scales of phase fluctuations due to the atmosphere are large at radio and sum-mm wavelengths, large improvements in resolution and sensitivities can be achieved by constructing large dishes. However, it then becomes problematic to keep these dishes in the exact shape, which is needed for efficient operation at shorter wavelengths. One solution is to measure the surface of the telescope using microwaves (=holography) and correct for any errors.

My work, which has grown out of my Part III project, centres on the so called Out-Of-Focus holography which attempts to measure the dish purely from observations of astronomical objects. More details are available here and results can be found at the Preliminary Results page. I am doing this work in conjunction with Prof. Richard Hills and Dr. John Richer.

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