Recently I have been working in the field of Observational Cosmology, where we are using radio and microwave
absorption lines at high redshift to determine the existence of any temporal variation
in the fundamental constants of nature (click here for one of the many recent press articles). As well as, I am continuing my work on the structure of the molecular gas and the relative starburst/AGN contribution in Seyfert
galaxies . I have also been involved in a survey
of millisecond pulsars which led to some interesting results
regarding the possibility of the detection of gravitational waves from a
merger of a binary system consisting of two neutron stars, and how the mysterious
gamma-ray burst phenomena may be
connected with such mergers. My undergraduate dissertation was
"Factors Affecting the Leidenfrost Affect". This was a study of the
insulating vapour layer which spontaneously forms between bodies at
very different temperatures, this is the effect which, for example,
allows a drop of water to sit on a hot stove and the walking on hot
coals with bare feet.
As well as the studying possible cosmological evolution of the
fundamental, highly redshifted radio absorption lines provide
excellent probes of the conditions in the early Universe in
general, as indeed are a lack of absorption lines...
Here are some general articles from the UNSW School of Physics Annual Reports:
ABC news
Science Daily
WIRED Science (no Kelly Le Brok I'm afraid)
The Cosmological Evolution of Heavy Element
and Molecular Abundances [2003]
A Thousand Million Light Years from Home [2004]
The Evolution of the Universe [2004]
Searching for Invisible Galaxies in the Distant Universe [2006]
An Invisible Galaxy or Galaxies at 7.3 Billion Light-Years? [2006]
A Giant Cloud of Pure Molecular Gas at 1.6 Billion Light-Years? [2006]
Highest Redshift Detection of 21-cm Hydrogen in a Gravitational Lens [2007]
Where is the 21-cm Absorption by Hydrogen in the Distant Universe? [2007]
S. J. Curran, 2000, "Seyfert Galaxies: A Review" Level 5, NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
37. K. Belczynski, D. R. Lorimer, J. P. Ridley and S. J. Curran, 2009, "Double and Single Recycled Pulsars: An Evolutionary Puzzle?" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, submitted
36. S. J. Curran , 2009, "On the Detectability of HI 21-cm in MgII Absorption Systems" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, accepted
35. S. J. Curran , P. Tzanavaris, J. K. Darling, M. T. Whiting, J. K. Webb, C. Bignell, R. Athreya and M. T. Murphy, 2009, "New Searches for HI 21-cm in Damped Lyman-Alpha Absorption Systems" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, accepted
34. S. J. Curran, 2009 "Ionised Carbon and Galaxy Activity", Astronomy & Astrophysics 496, 351-358
33. S. J. Curran, M. T. Whiting, T. Wiklind, J. K. Webb, M. T. Murphy, C. R. Purcell, 2008, "A Survey for Redshifted Molecular and Atomic Absorption Lines II" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 391 , 765
32. S. J. Curran, B. S. Koribalski and I. Bains, 2008, "The Large-Scale Atomic and Molecular Gas in the Circinus Galaxy" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 389, 63-74
HI distributions and velocity fields
31.
Christiansen, J. L. et al., 2008, The University of New South
Wales Extrasolar Planet Search: a catalogue of variable stars from
fields observed 2004-2007, Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society 385, 1749-1763
29. S. J. Curran, J. Darling, A. D. Bolatto, M. T. Whiting, C. Bignell and J. K. Webb, 2007, "HI and OH Absorption in the Lensing Galaxy of MG J0414+0534"
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 382, L11-L15
28. S. J. Curran, P. Tzanavaris, M. T. Murphy, J. K. Webb and Y. M.Pihlström, 2007, "Detection of Broad 21-cm Absorption at zabs = 0.656 in the Complex Sight-Line Towards 3C 336" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 381, L6-L10
27. Cunningham, M. R. et al., 2007, A Search for Propylene Oxide and Glycine in Sagittarius B2 (LMH) and Orion, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 376,, 1201-1210
26. M. T. Murphy, S. J. Curran, J. K. Webb, H. Ménager and B. J. Zych, 2007,"The Connection Between Metallicity and Metal-Line Kinematics in (Sub-) Damped Lyman-alpha Systems" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 376, 673-681
25. P. Tzanavaris, M. T. Murphy, J. K. Webb, V. V. Flambaum and S. J. Curran, 2007,"Probing Variations in Fundamental Constants with Radio and Optical Quasar Absorption-Line Observations" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 374, 634-646
24. S. J. Curran, M. T. Whiting, M. T. Murphy, J. K. Webb, S. N. Longmore, Y. M.Pihlström, R. Athreya and C. Blake, 2006, "A Survey for Redshifted Molecular and Atomic Absorption Lines I" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 371, 431-443
23. S. J. Curran and J. K. Webb, 2006, "The Detectability of HI 21-cm Absorption in Damped Lyman-alpha Systems" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 371, 356-362
22. C. R. Purcell, et al., 2006, "A CH3CN and HCO+ Survey Towards Southern Methanol Masers Associated with Star Formation", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 367, 533-576
21. P. Tzanavaris, J. K. Webb, M. T. Murphy, V. V. Flambaum and S. J. Curran, 2005,"Limits on Variations in Fundamental Constants from 21-cm and Ultraviolet Quasar Absorption Lines" Physical Review Letters 95, 041301
20. S. J. Curran, M. T. Murphy, Y. M. Pihlström, J. K. Webb and C. R. Purcell, 2005, "Spin Temperatures and Covering Factors for HI 21-cm Absorption in Damped Lyman-alpha Systems" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 356, 1509-1518
19. M. Strong, A. Pedlar, S. Aalto, R. J. Beswick, S. J. Curran and R. S. Booth, 2004, "Molecular Gas Properties of 12-Micron Seyfert Galaxies I",Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 353,1151-1160
18. S. J. Curran, M. T. Murphy, Y. M. Pihlström, J. K. Webb, A. D. Bolatto and G. C. Bower, 2004, "Molecular Fraction Limits in Damped Lyman Alpha Absorption Systems"Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 352, 563-570
17. S. J. Curran, J. K. Webb, M. T. Murphy and R. F. Carswell, 2004, "Cosmological Evolution of H2 and Heavy Element Abundances" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 351, L24-L28
16. M. T. Murphy, S. J. Curran
15. S. J. Curran, M. T. Murphy,
J. K. Webb, Y. M. Pihlström,
2003, "A 22 GHz Search for Molecular Absorption at z~3 with the Upgraded ATCA", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical
Society 340, 139-142
14. M. T. Murphy, J. K. Webb, V. V. Flambaum and S. J. Curran, 2003,"Does the Fine Structure Constant Vary? A Detailed Investigation Into Systematic Effects", Astrophysics and Space Science 283, 577-582
13. J. K. Webb, M. T. Murphy, V. V. Flambaum and S. J. Curran, 2003,"Does the Fine Structure Constant Vary? A Third Quasar Absorption Sample Consistent with Varying Alpha", Astrophysics and Space Science 283 , 565-575
12. S. J. Curran, M. T. Murphy, J. K. Webb, F. Rantakyrö, L. E. B. Johansson and S. Nikolic´, 2002, "A Search for Molecules in Damped Lyman Alpha Absorbers Occulting Millimetre-Loud Quasars", Astronomy & Astrophysics 394 , 763-768 The Observed Spectra (Supplementary)
11. S. Aalto, A. G. Polatidis, S. Hüttemeister and S. J. Curran, 2002, "CN and HNC Line Emission in IR Luminous Galaxies ", Astronomy & Astrophysics 381, 783 - 794
10. S. J. Curran, J. K. Webb, M. T. Murphy, R. Bandiera, E. Corbelli and V. V. Flambaum, 2002,
"A Catalogue of Damped Lyman Alpha Absorption Systems and Radio Flux Densities of the Background Quasars",
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia 19, 455-474
9. S. J. Curran, 2001, "Centaurus A: Molecular Gas Shells or Large-Scale Outflow?", Astronomy & Astrophysics 376, 402 - 412
8. S. J. Curran, A. G. Polatidis, S. Aalto and R. S. Booth, 2001, "Global Molecular Gas Properties of Seyfert Galaxies II", Astronomy & Astrophysics 373, 459 - 472
7. S. J. Curran, A. G. Polatidis, S. Aalto and R. S. Booth, 2001, "Global Molecular Gas Properties of Seyfert Galaxies I", Astronomy & Astrophysics 368, 824 - 834
6. S. J. Curran, L. E. B. Johansson, P. Bergman, A. Heikkilä and S. Aalto, 2001, "Molecular Gas Conditions in NGC 4945 and the
Circinus Galaxy", Astronomy & Astrophysics 367,
457 - 469
5. S. J. Curran, 2000, "Differences in the Dense Gas Between Type 1 and Type 2 Seyferts", Astronomy & Astrophysics Supplement Series 144, 271 - 284
4. S. J. Curran, S. Aalto and R. S. Booth, 2000, "Dense Molecular Gas in Seyfert Galaxies", Astronomy & Astrophysics Supplement Series 141, 193 - 209
3. S. J. Curran, G. Rydbeck, L. E. B. Johansson and R. S. Booth, 1999, "A Molecular Outflow in the Circinus Galaxy", Astronomy & Astrophysics 344, 767 - 778
2. S. J. Curran, L. E. B. Johansson, G. Rydbeck and R. S. Booth, 1998, "A Molecular Ring in the Circinus Galaxy", Astronomy & Astrophysics 338, 863 - 873
1. S. J. Curran, and D. R. Lorimer, 1995, "Pulsar Statistics III: Neutron Star Binaries", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 276, 347-352
S. J. Curran, M. T. Whiting and J. K. Webb, 2009"Blind Wide Area Surveys: Where will we find redshifted atomic and molecular absorption?", in Panoramic Radio Astronomy, Proceedings of Science
S. J. Curran, M. T. Whiting and J. K. Webb, 2008"Where is the Cold Neutral Gas in the Hosts of High Redshift AGN?", in The Central Kiloparsec, Active Galactic Nuclei and Their Hosts, Volume 79 of the Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana
S. J. Curran, 2007"Measuring Variations in the Fundamental Constants with the Square Kilometre Array", in Exploring the Cosmic Frontier: Astrophysical Instruments for the 21st Century, ESO Astrophysics Symposia, Springer-Verlag, 91 - 94
S. J. Curran, J. K. Webb, M. T. Murphy and N. Kuno, 2005,"Deep Searches for High Redshift Molecular Absorption", Highlights of Astronomy, Vol. 13, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series , 845 - 847
S. J. Curran, J. K. Webb, M. T. Murphy and Y. M. Pihlström, 2004,"Atomic and Molecular Absorption at High Redshift", in The Neutral ISM in Starburst Galaxies, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series 320, 342 - 345
M. T. Murphy, S. J. Curran and J. K. Webb, 2004,"H2-Bearing Damped Lyman-α Systems as Tracers of Cosmological Chemical Evolution", to appear in Recycling Intergalactic and Interstellar matter, IAU Symposium series, No. 217, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series 252-257
M. T. Murphy, J. K. Webb, V. V. Flambaum and S. J. Curran, 2002,"Time Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant", Physics in Collision, Stanford California
A. Polatidis, S. Aalto, S. Hüttemeister and S. Curran, 2002, "CN and HCN Line Emission in IR Luminous Galaxies", in 5th Conference of the Hellenic Astronomical Society, 105
S. J. Curran, 1997 "Confirmation of the Molecular Ring Structure in the Circinus Galaxy", Acta Cosmologica, Fasciculus XXIII-2, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego, Kraków, 209 - 212
S. J. Curran, 2000, "Molecular Gas in Seyfert Galaxies", PhD Thesis, Technical Report No. 385, Chalmers University of Technology - Abstract
S. J. Curran, 1998, "The Molecular Gas Distribution in the Central Circinus Galaxy", Licentiate Thesis, Technical Report No. 281L, Chalmers University of Technology - Abstract
S. J. Curran, 1994, "A Millisecond Pulsar Survey at High Northern Declinations", Masters Thesis, University of Manchester