Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100225
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,845.00
Summary
Unmasking dark matter: from the laboratory to the Milky Way. The unknown nature of the dark matter that fills our galaxy is one of the biggest problems in physics today. This project aims to connect the particle and astrophysics of dark matter so as to accelerate us towards its first detection in the lab. The expected outcomes are 1) new experimental concepts to test the widening landscape of viable theories and 2) robust predictions for signals in those experiments backed up by the latest surve ....Unmasking dark matter: from the laboratory to the Milky Way. The unknown nature of the dark matter that fills our galaxy is one of the biggest problems in physics today. This project aims to connect the particle and astrophysics of dark matter so as to accelerate us towards its first detection in the lab. The expected outcomes are 1) new experimental concepts to test the widening landscape of viable theories and 2) robust predictions for signals in those experiments backed up by the latest surveys of our Milky Way. These outcomes should benefit experiments across the world on the quest to fill a major gap in our understanding of the Universe. The grand scope of this research aims to place Australia in the vanguard of one of the most active pursuits of new physics in the modern era.Read moreRead less
The next wave of asteroseismic discovery using NASA’s TESS mission. This project aims to make advances in astrophysics by capitalising on NASA’s upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission and recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Through an innovative approach to analyse big datasets, the project expects to generate new knowledge in the key areas of planet formation, stellar structure, and the Galaxy’s evolution. Outcomes include strong international links to leadin ....The next wave of asteroseismic discovery using NASA’s TESS mission. This project aims to make advances in astrophysics by capitalising on NASA’s upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission and recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Through an innovative approach to analyse big datasets, the project expects to generate new knowledge in the key areas of planet formation, stellar structure, and the Galaxy’s evolution. Outcomes include strong international links to leading institutions and enhanced capacity for Australia to be part of cutting-edge space exploration. The methods and skills developed by the project should provide significant benefits to other data-driven sciences and help build smarter business models and improved decision making in industry and government in our increasingly data-dependent economy.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100015
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,680,000.00
Summary
The Cherenkov Telescope Array - From Production towards Operation. The Cherenkov Telescope Array is a transformational facility in very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. It will be 10 times more sensitive than current instruments and will revolutionise many topics in high energy astrophysics, and in astro-particle physics such as dark matter. Over 1000 scientists from over 30 countries are involved and the first telescopes on the southern hemisphere site in Chile will be installed from about 2021 ....The Cherenkov Telescope Array - From Production towards Operation. The Cherenkov Telescope Array is a transformational facility in very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. It will be 10 times more sensitive than current instruments and will revolutionise many topics in high energy astrophysics, and in astro-particle physics such as dark matter. Over 1000 scientists from over 30 countries are involved and the first telescopes on the southern hemisphere site in Chile will be installed from about 2021. This project will ensure Australia's contribution to complete the facility, leading into its operations phase (starting in 2027). It will also fund unique optical astronomy hardware that will enable Australian scientific leadership in supporting some of the Cherenkov Telescope Array's Key Science Projects.
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Formation and evolution of planetary systems. This project aims to develop computer simulation methods and mathematical modelling to help solve the mystery of how planets form. The project should also produce world-first algorithms for combining the effects of radiation and hydrodynamics, which will have a wide application in astronomy, atmospheric science and engineering and constraints on the processes of planet formation. The anticipated outcome of the project is to pinpoint the regions where ....Formation and evolution of planetary systems. This project aims to develop computer simulation methods and mathematical modelling to help solve the mystery of how planets form. The project should also produce world-first algorithms for combining the effects of radiation and hydrodynamics, which will have a wide application in astronomy, atmospheric science and engineering and constraints on the processes of planet formation. The anticipated outcome of the project is to pinpoint the regions where the dust grains grow to form the building blocks of planets.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions. This Centre aims to answer fundamental questions in astrophysics including the origin of matter and the periodic table of elements, and the origin of ionisation in the Universe. It intends to use Australian three-dimensional technology to transform our understanding of the Universe. It will unify world-leading Australian optical and radio surveys with theoretical simulations and new e-Science techniques for Peta-scale data sets. ....ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions. This Centre aims to answer fundamental questions in astrophysics including the origin of matter and the periodic table of elements, and the origin of ionisation in the Universe. It intends to use Australian three-dimensional technology to transform our understanding of the Universe. It will unify world-leading Australian optical and radio surveys with theoretical simulations and new e-Science techniques for Peta-scale data sets. The Centre will also nurture young scientific leaders and make high-school students interested in STEM sciences through education and outreach programmes. It is expected the research will propel Australia to the forefront of astronomical research for the coming decade while capitalising on innovative instrumentation.Read moreRead less
Ultra-faint signatures of galaxy growth seen through the cosmic haze. This project aims to uncover the cosmic cannibalism of galaxy mergers, by using innovative new instrumentation to detect some of the faintest structures ever seen by astronomers. The project will provide a comprehensive measurement of the mass growth experienced by large galaxies consuming their smaller siblings, which will provide a critical test of our understanding of dark matter. The project will also conduct ultra-high-se ....Ultra-faint signatures of galaxy growth seen through the cosmic haze. This project aims to uncover the cosmic cannibalism of galaxy mergers, by using innovative new instrumentation to detect some of the faintest structures ever seen by astronomers. The project will provide a comprehensive measurement of the mass growth experienced by large galaxies consuming their smaller siblings, which will provide a critical test of our understanding of dark matter. The project will also conduct ultra-high-sensitivity measurements of the foreground haze from nearby interstellar clouds, a crucial step towards mitigating its impact on billion-dollar projects such as the Euclid space telescope. The statistics of spatial structures in these clouds will help us to understand how new stars are born in our own Milky Way.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,390,000.00
Summary
The Cherenkov Telescope Array - Production phase. This project aims to ensure Australia’s contribution to the five-year production phase of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a very high energy gamma-ray astronomy instrument that is expected to transform both high energy astrophysics and astro-particle physics. Gamma-ray astronomy probes extreme processes in the Universe such as exploding stars, black holes, and mysterious dark matter. The project will maintain Australian access to all data an ....The Cherenkov Telescope Array - Production phase. This project aims to ensure Australia’s contribution to the five-year production phase of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a very high energy gamma-ray astronomy instrument that is expected to transform both high energy astrophysics and astro-particle physics. Gamma-ray astronomy probes extreme processes in the Universe such as exploding stars, black holes, and mysterious dark matter. The project will maintain Australian access to all data and key science programmes of the CTA. Australian astronomers will be able to directly influence the major astrophysics goals of CTA, and link in with Australia's flagship astronomical infrastructure. This is expected to benefit astrophysics, big data processing, electronics, atmospheric physics and optics.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100813
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,425.00
Summary
Cosmic alchemy: revealing the origin of elements in the universe. This project aims to address the long-standing question in astrophysics of how elements are produced by stars and recycled through galaxies. While it is established that stars are key producers of many of the elements in the universe, the processes that govern their elemental production remains unclear. This project will use an innovative interplay of pioneering observations of dying stars in our galaxy and its neighbours, with st ....Cosmic alchemy: revealing the origin of elements in the universe. This project aims to address the long-standing question in astrophysics of how elements are produced by stars and recycled through galaxies. While it is established that stars are key producers of many of the elements in the universe, the processes that govern their elemental production remains unclear. This project will use an innovative interplay of pioneering observations of dying stars in our galaxy and its neighbours, with state-of-the-art stellar models. The expected outcomes should provide a framework for understanding the chemical make-up of galaxies and the evolution of the Universe. This project will further elevate Australia's global standing in the field of astronomy and maximise returns on Australia's national investment in astronomy infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Mapping the nearest habitable planetary systems with FunnelWeb and Veloce. This project aims to address questions of whether Earth is a uniquely habitable environment in the Universe. Within just a few years, we will discover the best planets to target in humanity's search for life outside our Solar System. Likely to be found orbiting low-mass M-dwarf stars, these planets will be the focus of bio-signature space missions for decades. Understanding how common these habitable M-dwarf planets are r ....Mapping the nearest habitable planetary systems with FunnelWeb and Veloce. This project aims to address questions of whether Earth is a uniquely habitable environment in the Universe. Within just a few years, we will discover the best planets to target in humanity's search for life outside our Solar System. Likely to be found orbiting low-mass M-dwarf stars, these planets will be the focus of bio-signature space missions for decades. Understanding how common these habitable M-dwarf planets are requires a comprehensive model for how the whole population of M-dwarf planets formed and evolved. This project will use new Australian facilities, FunnelWeb and Veloce, to map that broader landscape for M-dwarfs and their planets, and so deliver the critical context needed to interpret the coming wave of habitable planet discoveries.Read moreRead less