Venturing into the Cluster Desert. Fundamental questions that ask about the nature and the fate of the Universe are of interest not only to astronomers, but also to the general public. In particular, the realisation that the Universe is dominated by dark energy has sparked wide public interest. We still know very little about dark energy. Is it Einstein's famous cosmological constant or something more exotic, such as a new particle or even new physics? This proposal aims to build a sample of ver ....Venturing into the Cluster Desert. Fundamental questions that ask about the nature and the fate of the Universe are of interest not only to astronomers, but also to the general public. In particular, the realisation that the Universe is dominated by dark energy has sparked wide public interest. We still know very little about dark energy. Is it Einstein's famous cosmological constant or something more exotic, such as a new particle or even new physics? This proposal aims to build a sample of very distant galaxy clusters that can then be used to search for a very special type of supernova - the Type Ia Supernova, which can be used as a tool to learn about the properties of dark energy. Read moreRead less
High-energy probes of dense matter and distorted spacetime. This is an ambitious but achievable program with the potential for results which will be highly significant to physicists worldwide. The expected outcomes have the potential to alter our understanding of fundamental physics, and will demonstrate that Australia's high-energy research ability is on par with the world's best. The techniques of X-ray astronomy are increasingly a standard part of the professional astronomer's toolkit, althou ....High-energy probes of dense matter and distorted spacetime. This is an ambitious but achievable program with the potential for results which will be highly significant to physicists worldwide. The expected outcomes have the potential to alter our understanding of fundamental physics, and will demonstrate that Australia's high-energy research ability is on par with the world's best. The techniques of X-ray astronomy are increasingly a standard part of the professional astronomer's toolkit, although Australia has a limited track record in recent years. The international collaborations that this project will build and maintain will help to improve access to, and utilisation of, multi-million dollar international satellite observatories by local observers.Read moreRead less
Real-Time Searches for Gravitational Waves and Identification of Their Radio and Optical Counterparts. The proposed project will directly address the national research priority in development of frontier technologies, directly involve Australians in frontier work in gravitational wave astronomy that will result in break-through sciences and improve the chance of the international Square-Kilometer-Array project being sited at Australia. In addition, it will foster a close collaboration of top int ....Real-Time Searches for Gravitational Waves and Identification of Their Radio and Optical Counterparts. The proposed project will directly address the national research priority in development of frontier technologies, directly involve Australians in frontier work in gravitational wave astronomy that will result in break-through sciences and improve the chance of the international Square-Kilometer-Array project being sited at Australia. In addition, it will foster a close collaboration of top international researchers with an Australian team. The research at The University of Western Australia will attract students from around the world and serve to educate and inspire young people in Australia.Read moreRead less
Advanced computer simulations of star cluster evolution. The topic of this fellowship is dynamical simulations of star clusters using high-end graphics cards originally developed for the computer gaming industry. The proposed fellowship will thereby enhance Australia's capacity in the exploitation of high-performance computing and will give it a strong position in the new field of graphics card based simulations. The computer cluster built during the fellowship will also be an outstanding enviro ....Advanced computer simulations of star cluster evolution. The topic of this fellowship is dynamical simulations of star clusters using high-end graphics cards originally developed for the computer gaming industry. The proposed fellowship will thereby enhance Australia's capacity in the exploitation of high-performance computing and will give it a strong position in the new field of graphics card based simulations. The computer cluster built during the fellowship will also be an outstanding environment for the training of students. In addition, while Australia has a strong tradition in star cluster astronomy, it has so far not captured a leadership role in the theoretical analysis. The four years of this fellowship will allow it to establish a world-leading position in star cluster simulations.Read moreRead less
Origins of our Universe. The present proposal will study the origins of our Universe, which is one of the grand challenges of 21st century physics. As such it will utilise insights and discoveries in many areas of physics, ranging from string theory and particle physics at the highest energies, to x-ray, optical and radio astronomy. The research program will add to our understanding of a fundamental branch of science - extending it in new directions - thereby considerably boosting the quality of ....Origins of our Universe. The present proposal will study the origins of our Universe, which is one of the grand challenges of 21st century physics. As such it will utilise insights and discoveries in many areas of physics, ranging from string theory and particle physics at the highest energies, to x-ray, optical and radio astronomy. The research program will add to our understanding of a fundamental branch of science - extending it in new directions - thereby considerably boosting the quality of cosmology and theoretical physics research in Australia. In concert with our international collaborations, work arising from this fellowship will enhance the Australian presence on the international cosmology, astro-particle, and theoretical physics scene.
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Simulating the Magellanic system using new special-purpose computers for gravitational dynamics. Australia is renowned for its significant contribution to great progress in observational studies of the Large and the Small Magellanic Clouds. The proposed state-of-the-art computer simulations will provide new and better understanding of the Magellanic Clouds and thus stimulate public interest, in particular, the next generation of Australian scientists. The extensive comparison between results fro ....Simulating the Magellanic system using new special-purpose computers for gravitational dynamics. Australia is renowned for its significant contribution to great progress in observational studies of the Large and the Small Magellanic Clouds. The proposed state-of-the-art computer simulations will provide new and better understanding of the Magellanic Clouds and thus stimulate public interest, in particular, the next generation of Australian scientists. The extensive comparison between results from fastest computers and world-class telescopes will make important breakthroughs in the areas of computational astrophysics and extragalactic astronomy and thus inspire many scientists and engineers in other fields.Read moreRead less