The School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester combines world-class astrophysics research with an environment of excellence in physics teaching and learning.
Building on more than half a century of cutting-edge research and strong links with industry and international partners, Leicester’s diverse scientific community is probing the furthest depths of our Universe with astrophysics research.
The department leads the robotic exploration of the worlds of our Solar System and teaches us about the fragile climate of our home planet.
These include:
- Astrophysics
- Space projects
- Astroparticle physics
- Planetary science
- Earth observation
Groundbreaking projects to advance scientific knowledge
Physicists from the University of Leicester are engaged with a wide variety of world-leading projects, from exploring distant galaxies to improving our understanding of our home planet.
These include:
BepiColombo
Launched in 2018 and reaching Mercury orbit seven years later, BepiColombo is the European-Japanese mission that will change our understanding of the innermost planet.
One of its key instruments, the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer which will measure elemental abundances on the surface of Mercury, was designed and built at the University of Leicester.
JUICE
Experts at the University of Leicester are co-investigators on the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), an ESA mission to discover how such worlds might harbour life.
Launched in April 2023, Juice will observe Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa, to investigate possible habitats for life and explore the complex Jupiter system to expand our understanding of gas giants.
SVOM
Following Leicester’s very successful involvement in the Swift mission, SVOM is designed to discover and follow up on astronomical transients, such as gamma-ray bursts.
It provides a rapid, autonomous response to enhance the all-sky coverage of transients. Its data will be used to extend our wide-ranging studies in time-domain and multi-messenger astrophysics.
High-energy gamma rays
The University of Leicester has played a leading role in the development of instrumentation for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy using the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). We are also involved in the complementary Southern Wide Field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO), a complementary water Cherenkov Facility.
Leicester designed and developed the photon-counting camera for CTAO’s Small-Sized Telescopes, which will observe gamma rays up to 300 TeV.
Advanced facilities to enhance astrophysics research
The School of Physics and Astronomy is home to several world-class research, computation and engineering facilities. They are:
Space Park Leicester
Space Park Leicester is an ambitious initiative that is developing a global hub and collaborative community for businesses, researchers and academia based on space and space-enabled technologies.
Offering high-tech facilities and capabilities, it offers a brand new hub for the analysis and commercialisation of space-enabled data and space mission development.
The University Observatory
With a 20-inch telescope, the University Observatory is one of the UK’s largest and most advanced astronomical teaching facilities. The Observatory is open to all undergraduate students and is used for student research projects.
High-performance computing
The School of Physics and Astronomy is home to the University’s ALICE 4000 core supercomputer and is a member of the UK’s Distributed Research Utilising Advanced Computing (DiRAC) consortium.
DiRAC is the integrated supercomputing facility for theoretical modelling and HPC-based research in astrophysics, astronomy and cosmology.
