About Us
University College London
University College London is the largest and oldest college of the University of London. It was founded in 1826 to open up education to all on equal terms and to bring the benefits of learning to society. UCL consistently ranks highly in global league tables of the world’s most prestigious universities and has a particularly strong Department of Physics and Astronomy with high-profile research groups in the areas of astrophysics, atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter and high-energy physics. The department participates in a wide range of outreach activities, e-infrastructure projects and media events.
Role-
The UCL VAMDC members are involved in the technical development of the VAMDC infrastructure, including defining standards, and writing software tools. They have also produced tutorials, conducted outreach activities and are responsible for the development of the HITRAN and ALADDIN nodes (see below).
Databases and Services-
- HITRAN is a compilation of spectrosopic parameters used to predict and simulate the transmission and emission of light in the atmosphere. It is maintained and managed by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
- ALADDIN is a database of collisional cross sections for particle-atom and particle-molecule collisions and particle-surface interactions used in models employed by the fusion community. It is maintained and co-ordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Scientific Interest of VAMDC Members-
The VAMDC members from UCL are theoretical spectroscopists involved in the ab initio calculation of line lists for small molecules, with a particular emphasis on those important to the atmospheres of extrasolar planets and cool stars [http://www.exomol.com/].
List of Members
Contact-
Partner/Node contact: J. Tennyson (j.tennyson[at]ucl.ac.uk)