X-ray and Observational Astronomy Group

Julian Osborne julo@star.le.ac.uk +44 (0)116 252 3598

Over the last few years I have lead the Swift team at Leicester. Swift is a US/UK/Italian satellite designed to study gamma-ray bursts. Prior to this I worked on accretion powered X-ray sources, whilst supporting the analysis of data from active and past X-ray observatories. I was responsible in part for the architecture of the XMM-Newton Science Analysis Software, and was science lead for the XMM Survey Science Centre SAS effort.

On the Research page you will find an introduction to my main scientific interests:

• Swift observations of gamma-ray burst afterglows and of novae
• Using the wide-angle survey SuperWASP telescopes to find new planets and monitor the variable sky
• The XMM survey of the Andromeda galaxy (M31)
• XMM spectra and dust-scattered halos from gamma ray bursts
• Cataclysmic variables - with some very nice movies
• The XMM catalogues

On the Data Analysis and Data Archives page you will find

• A guide to Swift X-ray telescope and data centre work at Leicester
• A description of the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre
• An introduction to LEDAS: the Leicester Data Archive Service for high energy astrophysics

If you have never heard of Leicester, click here. Leicester hosts the National Space Centre, due to the Department's success. It's a great place to see real space stuff.

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Julian Osborne: 30-May-2007