Durham University leading the way in space science
Nov 11 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal
DURHAM University was yesterday named the best in Europe for its work to unlock the secrets of the universe.
League tables show academics at Durham are leading the way in space science – the study of gravity, dark matter and black holes.
Discoveries made by university staff are linked to research being done by astrophysicists working at the Cern Large Hadron Collider, beneath the Swiss border.
Data from the Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators said work done at Durham had a greater impact than that done at institutions including Cambridge University, the California Institute of Technology and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Indicators published in The Times Higher Education measured the impact of Durham’s research work over the last 10 years up to June 2008.
The ranking was based on citations per research paper – the number of times the university’s work was mentioned by other researchers.
Durham’s work in the field of astronomy and astrophysics includes research into dark energy – a repulsive force that counteracts gravity in the universe; research into dark matter, which makes up the vast majority of all mass but is made up of unknown matter; the discovery of links between small and super-massive black holes; and large-scale computer simulations charting the evolution of the universe.
Professor Martin Ward, head of the Astronomy Group at Durham University, said: “Space science has moved on from the days when it was about looking through a telescope and counting the stars.
“It still deals with rockets, satellites and going to the moon but the emphasis has moved towards the study of the space across multiple wavelengths.
“Our research is helping to answer some of the most fundamental questions such as how galaxies form and what the fate of the universe will be, as well as delving into the mysteries of the properties of exotic things such as black holes.
“The physics is similar to that which is being done by Cern, but whereas they, as part of their research, are attempting to create miniature black holes, we are studying super-massive black holes bigger than the sun.
“Durham’s ranking as Europe’s number-one institution for space science and astrophysics is recognition of the high impact of our research, which is being carried out by individuals and teams of scientists of the highest calibre.
“We are very pleased. It’s been a team effort.” Durham’s astronomy group is one of Europe’s largest university research groups in space/ astrophysics.
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