The Science and Technology Facilities Council particle astrophysics programme is helping to answer some of the fundamental questions of the Universe. It focuses on gravitational waves, gamma ray astronomy, neutrinos and the search for dark matter.
Programmes funded by STFC in particle astrophysics focus on the areas of gravitational waves, gamma ray astronomy, neutrinos and the search for dark matter. These programmes aim to achieve STFC’s science challenges.
Gravitational wave detectors offer an opportunity to see the Universe from a new perspective, opening up a new field of astrophysics. Detectable gravitational waves will come from huge astronomical events, such as colliding black holes or supernovae. Investigating these events will provide information on pulsars, compact binaries, the origins of our Universe and provide an insight into the secrets of our Universe.
The Cherenkov Telescope Array will be a major step forward in sensitivity and precision for high energy gamma ray astronomy and will address key questions in astrophysics and fundamental physics.
Direct detection of dark matter is the subject of competing projects worldwide based on liquid-xenon and argon technologies. UK groups are positioned to participate in collaborations using either of these technologies. LUX ZEPLIN is a next-generation experiment to detect and study dark matter in the US.