Formation of Supermassive Black Holes. One of the most remarkable discoveries in astronomy is the observation that supermassive black holes, weighing as much as a billion suns, are found in the centers of galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Astronomers do not understand how these black holes came to be, or their role in the evolution of galaxies. This Discovery Project will address these issues by analysing data on supermassive black holes from the local and early universes. Black holes fasci ....Formation of Supermassive Black Holes. One of the most remarkable discoveries in astronomy is the observation that supermassive black holes, weighing as much as a billion suns, are found in the centers of galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Astronomers do not understand how these black holes came to be, or their role in the evolution of galaxies. This Discovery Project will address these issues by analysing data on supermassive black holes from the local and early universes. Black holes fascinate students both young and old. This Discovery Project will train a new generation of young Australian astronomers at the leading edge of astrophysics.
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Before Planets: The Mineralogy and Chemistry of Pre-Planetary Disks. Planets form within the circumstellar disks around young stars. Samples of the solid material composing our own primitive disk are found in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles. Using the powerful technique of astronomical mid-infrared spectropolarimetry, we will ascertain the composition of the material existing within the disks around young stars. By studying a range of disk ages we will determine how the composition ....Before Planets: The Mineralogy and Chemistry of Pre-Planetary Disks. Planets form within the circumstellar disks around young stars. Samples of the solid material composing our own primitive disk are found in meteorites and interplanetary dust particles. Using the powerful technique of astronomical mid-infrared spectropolarimetry, we will ascertain the composition of the material existing within the disks around young stars. By studying a range of disk ages we will determine how the composition evolves with time, and what physical processes affect it, in order to better understand how our own solar system formed. Further, we will image these disks in mm-wave molecular emission and constrain their chemistry and rotational properties.Read moreRead less
From Nanosecond Timing to Nanohertz Gravitational Wave Detection. Radio pulsars are the collapsed cores of once-massive stars that are renowned for their exceptional rotational stability. Ever since their discovery Australia has played a prominent role in the discovery and monitoring of these enigmatic sources. The timing and discovery of millisecond pulsars is an area where Australia is a world leader. This programme will use a powerful new instrument on the Parkes radio telescope to search for ....From Nanosecond Timing to Nanohertz Gravitational Wave Detection. Radio pulsars are the collapsed cores of once-massive stars that are renowned for their exceptional rotational stability. Ever since their discovery Australia has played a prominent role in the discovery and monitoring of these enigmatic sources. The timing and discovery of millisecond pulsars is an area where Australia is a world leader. This programme will use a powerful new instrument on the Parkes radio telescope to search for the minute influence of gravitational waves from supermassive black hole binaries on the millisecond pulsars.Read moreRead less
Habitable planets and stellar oscillations with the NASA Kepler mission. This project will ensure Australia's participation in a large space mission, which will detect habitable planets, like our own, around stars. We will build strong links to leading international institutions, supply high-level training for students in information processing skills, and develop new techniques for data analysis that are directly relevant to future space missions. This will position Australia in space explorati ....Habitable planets and stellar oscillations with the NASA Kepler mission. This project will ensure Australia's participation in a large space mission, which will detect habitable planets, like our own, around stars. We will build strong links to leading international institutions, supply high-level training for students in information processing skills, and develop new techniques for data analysis that are directly relevant to future space missions. This will position Australia in space exploration, with potential spin-offs for Australian industry. The science of this project will lead to a breakthrough in our understanding of the structure and evolution of stars and their planets, which will enhance Australia's reputation in these two fields of research.Read moreRead less
Interstellar Physics at the Epoch of Galaxy Formation. With large telescopes and major space observatories, we can finally reach back in time and see how galaxies were assembled in the first few billion years of our Universe. We need to determine how gas forms into stars, how massive black holes feed on and interact with their nascent galaxies, how heavy elements are produced, and how dust obscuration or re-radiation affects observations. This proposal brings a world-class team together to devel ....Interstellar Physics at the Epoch of Galaxy Formation. With large telescopes and major space observatories, we can finally reach back in time and see how galaxies were assembled in the first few billion years of our Universe. We need to determine how gas forms into stars, how massive black holes feed on and interact with their nascent galaxies, how heavy elements are produced, and how dust obscuration or re-radiation affects observations. This proposal brings a world-class team together to develop and apply new and unique pan-spectral tools based on physical models of the interstellar plasma and conceived to determine fundamental parameters of collapsing galaxies.Read moreRead less
Molecules as probes of the interstellar medium. It is one of the greatest challenges in Nature is to remotely identify what is in space. Interstellar molecules are identified by their spectra, but many features in these spectra are unknown, implying that there are many more molecules in space than we know about. With a stronger understanding of space chemistry, we could predict what should be there and verify it in the lab. Conversely, identification of these features will provide the tools to u ....Molecules as probes of the interstellar medium. It is one of the greatest challenges in Nature is to remotely identify what is in space. Interstellar molecules are identified by their spectra, but many features in these spectra are unknown, implying that there are many more molecules in space than we know about. With a stronger understanding of space chemistry, we could predict what should be there and verify it in the lab. Conversely, identification of these features will provide the tools to understand interstellar chemistry. In this project we combine skills in spectroscopy and astronomy to make these molecules in the laboratory, measure their spectra and thereby identify unknown molecules in space.Read moreRead less
How many bright stars of the night sky harbour planets? The search for planets around stars is one of the grand endeavours that defines the modern era of astronomy. This project will develop two innovative technologies that will lead this field into new observational terrain: high-contrast aperture masking interferometry at large telescopes, and very narrow angle astrometry at the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer. These new instruments will enable the search for planets around the bright ....How many bright stars of the night sky harbour planets? The search for planets around stars is one of the grand endeavours that defines the modern era of astronomy. This project will develop two innovative technologies that will lead this field into new observational terrain: high-contrast aperture masking interferometry at large telescopes, and very narrow angle astrometry at the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer. These new instruments will enable the search for planets around the bright intermediate-mass stars of our southern sky, and will target the critical orbital scales of planets at solar-system scale separations. This encompasses the habitable zone where conditions could support life, and the sample will have immediate impact on fundamental questions of planetary formation.Read moreRead less
From dust to planets: New initiatives to refine models of the inner Solar System's earliest history. This project will help continue the proud tradition of Australia as an international leader in mass spectrometric analyses and cosmochemistry. The questions surrounding the origin and significance of terrestrial planets are closely related to our very presence: "Are we alone"?
Research into meteorites is one of the few areas of science that truly captures the imagination of the general public. T ....From dust to planets: New initiatives to refine models of the inner Solar System's earliest history. This project will help continue the proud tradition of Australia as an international leader in mass spectrometric analyses and cosmochemistry. The questions surrounding the origin and significance of terrestrial planets are closely related to our very presence: "Are we alone"?
Research into meteorites is one of the few areas of science that truly captures the imagination of the general public. This project, through its integration with the WA Museum, gives the public a possibility to share in this experience.Read moreRead less
The First Deep Infrared Study of the Nearby Galaxy Population. We will conduct two major near-infrared (IR) surveys: The Southern Galactic Cap near-IR survey, and the Local Sphere of Influence survey. These surveys will capitalise on the innovative and award winning Australian IRIS2 facility. The two surveys push the observational frontier by orders of magnitude. They will be used to explore the close connection between the near-IR global properties of a galaxy and its underlying physics and pro ....The First Deep Infrared Study of the Nearby Galaxy Population. We will conduct two major near-infrared (IR) surveys: The Southern Galactic Cap near-IR survey, and the Local Sphere of Influence survey. These surveys will capitalise on the innovative and award winning Australian IRIS2 facility. The two surveys push the observational frontier by orders of magnitude. They will be used to explore the close connection between the near-IR global properties of a galaxy and its underlying physics and provide a generic local reference for the upcoming next generation infrared space-telescope missions.
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Stellar oscillations from the ground and space. We are participating in the Danish-led satellite mission MONS. The main instrument is a 32-cm telescope that is being designed and built by an Australian company. It will measure tiny brightness fluctuations in stars that reveal exquisite details about their internal structures. We propose to develop sophisticated processing algorithms that will allow MONS to measure the brightness fluctuations with unprecedented precision. We will also exploit ....Stellar oscillations from the ground and space. We are participating in the Danish-led satellite mission MONS. The main instrument is a 32-cm telescope that is being designed and built by an Australian company. It will measure tiny brightness fluctuations in stars that reveal exquisite details about their internal structures. We propose to develop sophisticated processing algorithms that will allow MONS to measure the brightness fluctuations with unprecedented precision. We will also exploit our new method for detecting oscillations in the brightest stars from the ground using the world's largest telescopes.Read moreRead less