The formation of stars and planets. This project will identify the mechanisms that create stars and planets, providing a sound basis for studying the birth of planetary systems with next-generation telescopes. It will maintain Australia's position at the forefront of astronomy and the advanced computational methods we shall develop will have applications in many other fields.
Building galaxies in our backyard: satellites and stellar streams in the Local Group. By finding and studying faint satellites and stellar streams in the Local Group, this project will address basic questions about the formation and evolution of galaxies like our Milky Way. The project will also probe the conditions of star formation in the early universe, and the properties of the dark matter which constitutes most of the mass in our universe.
The key role of black holes in galaxy evolution. This project will determine the effect of black holes on galaxy formation using sophisticated supercomputer simulations of radiation, jets and winds interacting with multi-phase interstellar gas in the host galaxy. The results of these simulations will be calibrated against radio and optical observations and incorporated into larger scale simulations describing the growth of structure in the Universe and the evolution of galaxies. This research is ....The key role of black holes in galaxy evolution. This project will determine the effect of black holes on galaxy formation using sophisticated supercomputer simulations of radiation, jets and winds interacting with multi-phase interstellar gas in the host galaxy. The results of these simulations will be calibrated against radio and optical observations and incorporated into larger scale simulations describing the growth of structure in the Universe and the evolution of galaxies. This research is highly relevant to the future science programs of the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array.Read moreRead less