Gravitational waves, predicted by the theory of General Relativity, are fluctuations in the curvature of space-time which arise from the asymmetric acceleration of mass. While gravitational waves have yet to be detected directly, measurements of the inspiral rate of a binary pul…
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Since Lick indices were introduced in 1994, they have been used as a source of observational data against which computer models of galaxy evolution have been compared. However, as this thesis demonstrates, observed Lick indices lead to mathematical ill-conditioning: small variat…
This thesis presents a study of multiple phenomena that exist within the solar corona. The structures explored in this work cover a range of sizes from a small-scale X-ray bright point (<10 Mm), to medium-scale coronal loops(10–100 Mm), and finally to a large-scale prominence (>…
The torsion balance is one of the key pieces of apparatus used in experimental searches for weak forces. In the search for an understanding of a Unified Theory, physicists have suggested a number of signatures that are detectable in laboratory measurements. This thesis describes…
The known population of high-mass X-ray binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud is continually growing and is now a similar size to that of the Milky Way, despite a significant mass difference between the two galaxies. In this thesis, I present multi-wavelength observations of Be…
This thesis is an investigation into the emission from an individual Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) NGC 4051. NLS1s have all the properties of Seyfert galaxies but show peculiar characteristics, including the narrowest Balmer lines, strongest Fe II emi…
Recent years have seen an explosion in the number of eclipsing binaries containing white dwarfs. In the last few years the number of systems has increased from 7 to over 40, thanks mainly to large surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Catalina Sky Survey. Many of …
Close binaries containing compact objects come in many different forms, but have one thing in common: their evolution involves at least one common envelope phase and angular momentum losses. However, many aspects of these two fundamental processes are still poorly understood. Am…
Sunspots are the most conspicuous feature seen on the solar photosphere and are manifestations of the solar magnetic field. Their study, then, may provide us with a greater understanding of the dynamo mechanism thought to be responsible for the generation of this field. In this …
This thesis presents an analytical and computational approach to modelling partially ionised, spatially-inhomogeneous and recombining plasmas. The specific context for this study is astrophysical plasmas, the early Universe in particular. Two models are investigated in detail: a…
Particle dynamics in the solar corona are of interest since the behaviour of the coronal plasma is important for the understanding of how the solar corona is heated to such high temperatures compared to the photosphere (≈ 1 million Kelvin, compared to a photospheric temperature …
The past few decades of solar observations have seen an increase in both the spatial and temporal resolution of data. The recent launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory is the next step in a digital era and provides so much data that the satellite has its own Feature Finding Te…
Radio galaxies and quasars are among the largest and most powerful single objects known and are believed to have had a significant impact on the evolving Universe and its large scale structure. Their jets inject a significant amount of energy into the surrounding medium, hence t…
This thesis describes the properties and evolution of massive (Mstellar ≥ 1011h−2 70 M⊙) galaxies at 0 < z < 3, including their relationship to lower mass systems. Present-day massive galaxies are composed mostly of early-type objects, although it is unknown whether this was als…
This thesis investigates the role of environment on galaxy formation and evolution, giving particular focus to the transformation of star forming spirals into passive S0s. The data utilised for this study comes from photometric and spectroscopic observations of galaxies at 0 < z…
The sensitivity of the next generation of interferometric gravitational wave detectors will be limited in part by thermal noises of the optics. It has been proposed that using higher-order Laguerre-Gauss (LG) beams in the interferometers can reduce this noise. This thesis docume…
In this thesis I primarily use the UKIDSS Ultra-Deep Survey (UDS) to investigate the effect environment has on galaxies across the redshift range 0.25 < z < 3.25. The UDS is a K-selected survey so it does not suffer from the strong iases that affect optical surveys at high redsh…
In this thesis the Big Bang and inflation theory are reviewed. The success of inflation is largely due to the predicted generation of inhomogeneities. We review the dynamical equations of motion for an accelerating expansion of the Universe and the flow equations which describe …
This thesis examines many of the ways in which massive galaxies and their super- massive black holes have changed over the past 12 billion years. In a sense, this is an attempt to write a cosmic history of massive galaxies, and in so doing construct a useful catalogue of changes…