School of Chemical and Physical Sciences brochures Physics Astrophysics brochure 2019 | 页面 23

PHYSICS AND ASTROPHYSICS | 23
Research
Keele has dual research strengths in Physics and in Astrophysics
The Physics group works in the broad area of
“soft condensed matter” — more specifically,
the physics of polymers, which are large
molecules composed of many repeated
subunits (some examples are DNA, rubber,
chocolate and various pharmaceuticals).
Particular interest is centred around using
powerful X-ray sources to probe the atomic-
scale structure of polymers, investigating how
and why they change physically when they
become crystallised and how this impacts their
use in medical and industrial applications.
The Astrophysics group pursues a range of
observational, computational and theoretical
research programmes. These include the
search for planets around other stars (Keele
astronomers have discovered more than
100 planets since 2006); the properties
and interactions of stars in binary systems;
the formation of stars both singly and in
gravitationally bound groups; the dynamics of
star clusters; how stars produce the chemical
elements and feed them back into galaxies
when they die; laboratory studies aimed at
understanding interstellar chemistry; and the
physics and phenomenology of active and
normal galaxies, supermassive black holes and
dark matter.
These groups have international reputations
and regularly use major international
experimental and observational facilities.
They are funded by UK and European research
councils and industry, supporting strong
postgraduate programmes with more than 15
full-time research PhD students.
As an undergraduate student at Keele, you will
benefit directly from this activity. You will be
taught by experts who do forefront research
and who bring elements of their research
into the BSc degree courses (especially in
many of the Physics and Astrophysics option
modules and project work in Year 3). The
added expertise of postgraduate student
demonstrators will be available to you in
laboratory, problem class and tutorial settings.
And there are some opportunities to work with
members of staff on research projects during
the summer months between your second and
third years.
The SuperWASP telescope array in
South Africa, built and operated by
Keele astrophysicists to search for
extrasolar planets.
keele.ac.uk/physics