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Dr Richard G. McMahon
Reader in Observational Astronomy, at the Institute of Astronomy , University of Cambridge
I am mainly interested in new observations of the high-redshift Universe. My research is observational or experimental in nature The main focus is in the area of galaxy formation and evolution, in the Epoch of Reionization, focusing on the discovery of new high redshift galaxies and quasars that host supermassive black holes, determination of their space densities, star formation rates and how and when they form.
This research focuses on the discovery and study of both new and the highest redshift galaxies and quasars that contain supermassive (100-1000 million Solar mass) black holes ; determining how their space density, star formation and accretion properties evolve with redshift; and using the quasars to probe the baryonic content of the Universe via intervening absorption lines from H, C, N, O. My group has pioneered the use of high redshift quasars to determine the mass of neutral hydrogen in the high redshift Universe via intervening absorption lines imprinted on the spectra of background high redshift quasars. I have also pioneered the use of mm and submm microwave radiation to determine the star formation rate in quasar host galaxies.
I am the Principal Investigator (PI) of the VISTA Hemisphere Survey(VHS) which is an ambitious new near Infra-Red sky survey project which started in April, 2010. VHS has been been awarded around 300 clear nights over a 5 year period on the new 4.2m ESO VISTA telescope in Chile. I also lead the quasar science working group in the Dark Energy Survey project which is building the largest CCD camera in existence and has been awarded 500 nights on the CTIO 4m telescope in Chile to use this camera to observe at optical wavelengths part of the sky that will be surveyed in the near Infra-Red with the VISTA Hemisphere Survey.
Selected publications
- The discovery of the first luminous z~6 quasar in the UKIDSS Large Area Survey, Venemans B., McMahon R.G., et al, 2007, MNRAS, 376L, 76.
- DAzLE: the dark ages z (redshift) Lyman-α Explorer; Horton A., et al., 2004, SPIE,5492, 1022
- The evolution of ΩHI and the epoch of formation of damped Lyman-α absorbers, Peroux C., McMahon R.G. et al., 2003, MNRAS, 346L, 1103.
- Lyman break galaxies and the star formation rate of the Universe at z~ 6; Stanway E.R., Bunker A.J., McMahon R.G., 2003, MNRAS, 342, 439.
- The far-infrared-submillimetre spectral energy distribution of high-redshift quasars, Priddey, R. and McMahon, R.G., 2001, MNRAS, 324P, 17.
- Optical Counterparts for 70,000 Radio Sources: APM Identifications for the FIRST Radio Survey; McMahon, R.G.; White, R.L.; Helfand, D.J.; Becker, R.H., 2002, ApJS, 143, 1.
- Measurements of Omega and Lambda from 42 High-Redshift Supernovae, Perlmutter S. et al, 1999, ApJ, 517, 565.
- Discovery of radio-loud quasars with z = 4.72 and z = 4.01; Hook I.M., McMahon R.G., 1998, MNRAS, 294, 7.
- Detection of Lyman-α emitting galaxies at redshift z = 4.55; Hu E.M, McMahon R.G., 1996, Nature, 382, 231.
- APM z >=4 QSO Survey: Spectra and Intervening Absorption Systems; Storrie-Lombardi, L. J.; McMahon R.G.; Irwin, M.J.; Hazard, C., 1996, ApJ, 468, 121.
- 1.25-mm continuum observations of very high-redshift QSOs: Is there dust at z = 4.69?, McMahon, R.G. et al, 1994, MNRAS, 267L, 9.
Press coverage
- Audio interview from the BBC describing how we detected the most distant galaxy known in the Universe [here]
- BBC Story on DAZLE [ DAZLE News Reports ]
- How Microsoft are helping me out?
Career
- 2001- Present: Reader in Observational Astronomy, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge
- 2000-2001: John Couch Astronomer, University of Cambridge
- 1999-2001: University Lecturer, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge
- 1991-2001: Royal Society University Research Fellow, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge
- 1985-1991: Research Fellow, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge
Qualifications
- PhD (Cantab), Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge; Supervisor: Cyril Hazard
- Postgraduate Certification in Secondary Education (Physics), University of Cambridge
- BSc (Hons) Physics, Queens University Belfast
Other stuff
MAD Scientists
- John Couch Adams
- Astononomy Picture of the Day
- Welcome to the Planets
- Check the lunar phase
- Physical Constants
IOA Instrumentation Group Homepage | CIRSI(Sackler) Camera Homepage
Published by Richard G. McMahon <rgm@ast.cam.ac.uk>
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OHA
Tel: +44-(0)-1223-337519/337548
FAX: +44-(0)-1223-337523 Last modified: Wed Dec 28 17:19:08 2011