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Supervisor: Professor M J Ward.
Starburst galaxies have long been studied at optical and infrared
wavelengths, but only since the era of the Einstein observatory has it
been possible to study them in detail at X-ray energies. It is now clear
that their X-ray emission arises from a variety of components; X-ray
binaries, supernova remnants and hot galactic scale winds. The relative
contributions from these components varies from galaxy to galaxy, and is
a function of galaxy type, and evolutionary stage of the starburst. We
have a programme in which we combine X-ray imaging and spectroscopy to
quantify the properties of these components in some nearby starbursts.
In addition, we are also interested in the properties of more distant
X-ray luminous starbursts, in order to understand the mechanisms by
which such objects can emit up to 1000 times the X-ray luminosity of a
typical starburst galaxy. This question is also linked to whether there
exist hidden AGN in some starburst galaxies.
See also the posters entitled "Chandra Observations of M82", available on our posters page.
Contact: Prof. Martin Ward (mjw@star.le.ac.uk)
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