Collaboration with The NANTEN2 International Star Formation Consortium. Through this collaboration Australia, for a very modest sum, will gain its first direct access to the astronomical facilities of the Atacama plateau, one of the best sites for investigating star formation on the Earth. The project fosters international collaboration, and raises the profile of Australian science and facilities by bringing together astronomers from Australia, Japan, Germany, Korea, Chile and Switzerland.The co ....Collaboration with The NANTEN2 International Star Formation Consortium. Through this collaboration Australia, for a very modest sum, will gain its first direct access to the astronomical facilities of the Atacama plateau, one of the best sites for investigating star formation on the Earth. The project fosters international collaboration, and raises the profile of Australian science and facilities by bringing together astronomers from Australia, Japan, Germany, Korea, Chile and Switzerland.The collaborations formed during this project will enable Australian scientists future access to new front-line telescopes such as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), due to commence operations in 2010. Read moreRead less
Cosmic evolution of radio galaxies. The proposed research will use the telescopes in Australia in novel configurations to address a key astrophysical problem in modern day cosmology: the role of the central black hole in regulating galaxy growth and evolution. This research project will be a showcase of Australian technical innovation and scientific know-how. At the same time it provides an excellent opportunity to promote and strengthen research links between Australia and India in the field ....Cosmic evolution of radio galaxies. The proposed research will use the telescopes in Australia in novel configurations to address a key astrophysical problem in modern day cosmology: the role of the central black hole in regulating galaxy growth and evolution. This research project will be a showcase of Australian technical innovation and scientific know-how. At the same time it provides an excellent opportunity to promote and strengthen research links between Australia and India in the field of radio astronomy. The exchange of researchers in this field has important strategic value in strengthening Australia's bid to host the next generation international radio telescope, known as the Square Kilometre Array.Read moreRead less
New technologies for the DRAGONFLY instrument. The vast distances in the galaxy have motivated the long-held dream of astronomers to build telescopes with enough magnification to zoom in on the intimate lives of stars. With a bold new approach, the Dragonfly instrument will make a major step in performance beyond existing technology, delivering images with an unmatched combination of high fidelity and resolution. A number of crucial questions await such a breakthrough in capability. How do stars ....New technologies for the DRAGONFLY instrument. The vast distances in the galaxy have motivated the long-held dream of astronomers to build telescopes with enough magnification to zoom in on the intimate lives of stars. With a bold new approach, the Dragonfly instrument will make a major step in performance beyond existing technology, delivering images with an unmatched combination of high fidelity and resolution. A number of crucial questions await such a breakthrough in capability. How do stars form? What happens as they die? Are planetary systems common? Demonstrated success with this instrument will place it at the forefront of astronomical imaging worldwide, providing a vital element in the case for justifying the next generation of large telescopes.Read moreRead less
ARENA: Antarctic Research, a European Network for Astronomy. With compelling evidence now growing that the world's best astronomical observing sites for optical/infrared astronomy are located on the high plateau of Australia's Antarctic Territory, a race is underway to establish the first major observing facilities there. The European Union have recently funded a network of 20 leading research institutes to coordinate the development of enabling technologies and astronomical programs in Antarct ....ARENA: Antarctic Research, a European Network for Astronomy. With compelling evidence now growing that the world's best astronomical observing sites for optical/infrared astronomy are located on the high plateau of Australia's Antarctic Territory, a race is underway to establish the first major observing facilities there. The European Union have recently funded a network of 20 leading research institutes to coordinate the development of enabling technologies and astronomical programs in Antarctica, with a view to constructing a so-called 'Great Observatory'. Australia's participation in this network ensures continued technology exchange and builds our knowledge base in robotics, harsh-environment engineering and computational fluid dynamics, while creating important new astronomical opportunities.Read moreRead less
ARENA: Antarctic Research, a European Network for Astronomy. With compelling evidence that the world's best astronomical observing sites for optical/infrared astronomy are located on the high plateau of Australia's Antarctic Territory, efforts are underway to establish the first major observing facilities there. The European Union has recently funded a network of 20 leading research institutes to coordinate the development of enabling technologies and astronomical programs in Antarctica, with a ....ARENA: Antarctic Research, a European Network for Astronomy. With compelling evidence that the world's best astronomical observing sites for optical/infrared astronomy are located on the high plateau of Australia's Antarctic Territory, efforts are underway to establish the first major observing facilities there. The European Union has recently funded a network of 20 leading research institutes to coordinate the development of enabling technologies and astronomical programs in Antarctica, with a view to constructing a so-called 'Great Observatory'. Australia's participation in this network ensures continued technology exchange and builds our knowledge base in robotics, harsh-environment engineering and computational fluid dynamics, while creating important new astronomical opportunities.Read moreRead less
Stellar populations, Galaxy formation and Large-scale structure. We request renewed support under the MoU with France to continue a fruitful cooperative research programme in astrophysics which has again been funded by the French CNRS for 2004 and, pending Australian equivalence, also for 2005 and 2006. This will further strengthen existing links in key areas of astrophysics where Australian and French researchers have complementary strengths. Previous support has enabled Australian and French a ....Stellar populations, Galaxy formation and Large-scale structure. We request renewed support under the MoU with France to continue a fruitful cooperative research programme in astrophysics which has again been funded by the French CNRS for 2004 and, pending Australian equivalence, also for 2005 and 2006. This will further strengthen existing links in key areas of astrophysics where Australian and French researchers have complementary strengths. Previous support has enabled Australian and French astronomers to build successful collaborations across a broad range of important areas encompassing theory, survey astronomy (a key Australian strength), special observational techniques and large-scale observational programmes, many making use of the new generation of 8m telescopes.Read moreRead less
The atmospheres of red giant stars: theory and observation. When stars near the end of their lives, they swell many hundred-fold in size (or million-fold in volume), entering a brief but enigmatic phase which astronomers call a Red Giant. Although this is a crucial episode in the life cycle of stars, the dramatic scale change precipitates a wealth of complex phenomena not seen in normal stars such as pulsation and mass loss. With this study we aim at understanding the detailed atmospheric struct ....The atmospheres of red giant stars: theory and observation. When stars near the end of their lives, they swell many hundred-fold in size (or million-fold in volume), entering a brief but enigmatic phase which astronomers call a Red Giant. Although this is a crucial episode in the life cycle of stars, the dramatic scale change precipitates a wealth of complex phenomena not seen in normal stars such as pulsation and mass loss. With this study we aim at understanding the detailed atmospheric structure of these giant stars by marrying leading theoretical/numerical modelling with state-of-the-art observational technology, capable of imaging the surfaces of these stars for the first time.Read moreRead less
International collaboration in millimetre and infrared astronomy to pursue the study of star formation. Stars form in the cold cores of molecular clouds. Their formation can be studied at millimetre wavelengths, through the rotational line emission arising from the rich molecular chemistry taking place inside these clouds. They can also be studied at infrared wavelengths through their thermal emission. In a collaboration with UK astronomers a research program into this field will be advanced, ....International collaboration in millimetre and infrared astronomy to pursue the study of star formation. Stars form in the cold cores of molecular clouds. Their formation can be studied at millimetre wavelengths, through the rotational line emission arising from the rich molecular chemistry taking place inside these clouds. They can also be studied at infrared wavelengths through their thermal emission. In a collaboration with UK astronomers a research program into this field will be advanced, making use of the new Australian facilities for millimetre-wave astronomy---the Mopra Telescope and the mm-interferometer of the Australia Telescope---as well as the ESO facilities for infrared astronomy. Funds are sought to facilitate this collaboration.Read moreRead less
An Australian space telescope on a Danish satellite: oscillating stars as a test of stellar evolution theories. We are participating in a Danish-led satellite mission that will dramatically strengthen our understanding of stars. The satellite will observe oscillations by measuring tiny fluctuations in stellar brightness that are undetectable from the ground because of the effects of the Earth's atmosphere. The oscillation frequencies will allow us to probe in exquisite detail the interiors of ....An Australian space telescope on a Danish satellite: oscillating stars as a test of stellar evolution theories. We are participating in a Danish-led satellite mission that will dramatically strengthen our understanding of stars. The satellite will observe oscillations by measuring tiny fluctuations in stellar brightness that are undetectable from the ground because of the effects of the Earth's atmosphere. The oscillation frequencies will allow us to probe in exquisite detail the interiors of nearby stars and study phenomena that do not occur in the Sun. We will also continue our pioneering work on ground-based oscillation measurements and cement a long-term collaboration between Australia and Denmark that will provide opportunities for young researchers to gain international experience.Read moreRead less