University joins European initiative to advance Multimessenger Astrophysics

18 Oct 2024

Researchers at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics join collaboration in new field, combining data from multiple sources – or messengers – for a more comprehensive understanding than traditional astronomy alone.

The University will play a key role in a new European collaboration, which aims to boost accessibility and coordination of leading astroparticle and astronomy research infrastructures.  

The Astrophysics Centre for Multi-messenger Studies in Europe (ACME), funded by the European Union and coordinated by Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), is an ambitious initiative that is designed to provide seamless access to instruments, data and expertise, focussing on the new science of multi-messenger astrophysics.

Multi-messenger astrophysics is a relatively new but rapidly growing field that uses information from various cosmic signals, such as photons, gravitational waves, neutrinos, and cosmic rays, to study some of the most extreme and mysterious phenomena in the Universe, such as black hole mergers, neutron star collisions and supernova explosions. Combining data from multiple sources – or messengers – offers a more comprehensive understanding than traditional astronomy alone.

The ACME will bring together 40 leading institutions from 15 countries, including The University’s Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics (JBCA), and aims to forge a basis for strengthened long-term collaboration between these research infrastructures irrespective of location and level-up access opportunities across Europe and beyond.

The e-MERLIN/VLBI National facility, which the University operates on behalf of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, and expertise from the UK’s SKA Regional Centre will play a crucial role in facilitating these goals.

Professor Rob Beswick , who co-leads ACME’s transnational access programme, said: “ACME is an incredibly exciting opportunity. This project will bring together a wide range of world-class researchers and astronomical research infrastructure spanning astroparticle and gravitational wave facilities along the entire electromagnetic spectrum, with a common focus to advance multi-messenger astrophysics.” 

The AMCE project will be coordinated by Prof Antoine Kouchner (CNRS/Université Paris Cite) and Paolo D’Avanzo (INAF). A key element of the project is to develop six new multi-messenger Centres of Excellence across Europe, which will serve as hubs of expertise for all researchers in all aspects of direct and multi-messenger science programmes, providing support from proposals to data analysis and science interpretation.