Honorary Professor of Physical Sciences Michael J Church PhD, BSc, FRAS

School of Physics and Astronomy
Honorary Senior Lecturer

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0) 121 414 4607
Email: m.j.church@bham.ac.uk

Address: X-ray Binaries Group
School of Physics and Astronomy
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Professor of Physical Sciences Michael J Church is Head of the X-ray Binaries Group at Birmingham working in the fields of neutron star, black hole binaries and Galactic jet sources. He holds a leading position internationally in the fields of absorption dipping, and in the most luminous X-ray binaries having proposed physical models for these sources and for the formation of relativistic jets in neutron star binaries.

Qualifications

Permanent Title of Professor: State Professorship - award of the Polish State Committee for Titles and Awards awarded by the President of Poland
Fellow Royal Astronomical Society, elected 1998
Ph D in Plasma Physics, University of Birmingham, 1975
B Sc (Hons) in Physics, University of Birmingham 1968

Biography

Professor of Physical Sciences Michael J Church was awarded the degree of Ph D in 1975 in the field of plasma physics. In 1989, in the department of Electron Physics and Space Research he worked on the Spacelab 2 mission in which an X-ray telescope was flown on-board the Space Shuttle.

He was Visiting Professor at the Institute of Space & Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan (1995), Royal Society Visitor at ISAS (1996-99), invited member of the Beppo-SAX core programme (1997-99); Visiting Astronomer, Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, Greenbelt MA (1997); Visiting Astronomer, Space Science division of ESTEC, Holland (1997-2000). In 2000, he became by invitation Professor in High Energy Astrophysics at the Jagiellonian University, Cracow; Professor in the Astronomical Observatory, Cracow (2001-2008); Visiting Professor of the Jagiellonian University (2009-10).

In 2009 he was awarded the permanent title of State Professor by the President of Poland for scientific achievement.

Teaching

Lecture Course: the Interstellar Medium
Lecture Course: the Solar Terrestrial Environment
Critiques: Year 3 and Year 4

Postgraduate supervision

Supervision of Ph D students in High Energy Astrophysics 1995 onwards

Research

RESEARCH THEMES

Low mass X-ray Binaries; absorption dipping in X-ray Binaries; physical models of low mass X-ray binaries including the Z-track sources, the Atoll sources and launching of relativistic jets.

Other activities

Visiting Professor, Institute for Space and Astronautical Science, Japan
Visiting Lecturer in High Energy Astrophysics, the Jagiellonian University, Cracow (2000-2010)
Professor, Astronomical University, Cracow (2000-2008)
Visiting Professor, Jagiellonian University (2009-10)
Involved in more than 30 applications for observations with satellite observatories. Member of the Beppo-SAX core programme on the dipping sources
Supervision and training of Ph D students in the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, 2005 - present

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Balucinska-Church, M, Schulz, NS, Wilms, J, Gibiec, A, Hanke, M, Spencer, RE, Church, M & Rushton, AP 2011, 'Dipping in Cygnus X-2 in a multi-wavelength campaign due to absorption of extended ADC emission', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 530, pp. A102. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201015931

Balucinska-Church, M, Church, M, Dotani, T & Hirotsu, T 2010, 'Neutral versus ionized absorber as an explanation of the X-ray dippers', Memorie Societa Astronomica Italiana, vol. 81, no. 1, pp. 268.

Balucinska-Church, M, Gibiec, A, Jackson, NK & Church, M 2010, 'On the nature of the Cygnus X-2 like Z-track sources', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 512, pp. A9. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200913199

Church, M, Dimbylow, O, Peach, C & Balucinska-Church, M 2010, 'The nature of the 4th track in GX5-1: discovery of Fe XXVI RRC in massive flares', Memorie Societa Astronomica Italiana, vol. 81, no. 1, pp. 275.

Jackson, NK, Church, M & Balucinska-Church, M 2009, 'A model for the Z-track phenomenon in GX5-1 and observational evidence for the physical origins of the kHz QPO', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 494, no. 3, pp. 1059-1071. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20079234

Rushton, A, Bach, U, Spencer, R, Kadler, M, Church, M, Balucinska-Church, M, Wilms, J & Hanke, M 2009, 'Cygnus X-2 in a radio quiet state', The Astronomer's Telegram, vol. 2052.

Balucinska-Church, M, Dotani, T, Hirotsu, T & Church, M 2009, 'Neutral absorber dips in the periodic burster LMXB XB 1323-619 from Suzaku', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 500, no. 2, pp. 873-882. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200811215

Church, M 2009, 'nqsvjsdadmn', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 12.

Church, M, Halai, J & Balucinska-Church, M 2006, 'An explanation of the Z-track sources', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 460, pp. 233-244. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20065035

Reed, D, Balucinska-Church, M, Smale, AP, Dotani, T & Church, M 2006, 'Discovery of ADC absorption in the LMXB XB 1323-69 with XMM-Newton', Advances in Space Research, vol. 38, pp. 1524-1528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2006.02.019

Reed, D, Stawarz, L, Balucinska-Church, M, Church, M, Ostrowski, M & Jamrozy, M 2006, 'Large-scale structure of radio galaxy 3C 123 at X-ray and radio frequencies', Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Paper

Church, M, Jackson, N & Balucinska-Church, M 2008, 'The Importance of Radiation Pressure in the Launching of Jets', Paper presented at 7th International Workshop on Multifrequency Behaviour of High Energy Cosmic Sources, May 28-Jun 02, 2007. Vulcano, Italy, 1/01/08 pp. 191-196.

Balucinska-Church, M, Reed, D & Church, M 2008, 'The Periodic Bursters XB 1323-619 and GS 1826-24: Longterm Evolution of the Nuclear Burning regime and Comparison with Theory', Paper presented at 7th International Workshop on Multifrequency Behaviour of High Energy Cosmic Sources, May 28-Jun 02, 2007. Vulcano, Italy, 1/01/08 pp. 319-324.

Jackson, N, Church, M, Balucinska-Church, M & Halai, G 2006, 'Explaining the Z-sources and jet formation', Paper presented at Proceedings of the Summer School:observing X-ray and Gamma-ray Sky, 1/01/06.

Jackson, N, Church, M, Balucinska-Church, M & Halai, G 2006, 'Neutron star radiation pressure leading to jet formation in the brightest LMXB'.

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