Watching planets grow in real time. This project will conduct the first in-depth examination of the atmospheres of newly born small planets around other stars, yielding a better understanding of how planets evolve early in their lives. The atmosphere of our Earth is its most distinguishing feature. Key outcomes of this project include unveiling the mechanisms that drive the erosion of early planetary atmospheres, leading to a better understanding of the processes that sculpt all planets, includi ....Watching planets grow in real time. This project will conduct the first in-depth examination of the atmospheres of newly born small planets around other stars, yielding a better understanding of how planets evolve early in their lives. The atmosphere of our Earth is its most distinguishing feature. Key outcomes of this project include unveiling the mechanisms that drive the erosion of early planetary atmospheres, leading to a better understanding of the processes that sculpt all planets, including those in our own Solar System. The project leverages Australian and international expertise across exoplanetary, stellar, and Solar System astrophysics, with key outcomes in developing techniques for Australian utilisation of world-class multi-wavelength space facilities. Read moreRead less
Cosmic Renaissance: The Last Chance for Planet Formation Around Dying Stars. This project will generate a novel model where planets emerge from gas expelled during interactions between dying stars, rather than forming around young stars. It relies on unique multi-wavelength, high-angular resolution observations of planet-forming disks around dying stars and simulations of disk formation. This research will provide unprecedented insight into the uncertain process of planet formation around young ....Cosmic Renaissance: The Last Chance for Planet Formation Around Dying Stars. This project will generate a novel model where planets emerge from gas expelled during interactions between dying stars, rather than forming around young stars. It relies on unique multi-wavelength, high-angular resolution observations of planet-forming disks around dying stars and simulations of disk formation. This research will provide unprecedented insight into the uncertain process of planet formation around young stars and inform future space exploration missions. The project's benefits include generating new knowledge, enhancing Australia's reputation in stellar and planetary astrophysics, inspiring STEM interest, and training researchers in machine/deep learning and hydrodynamic modelling - valuable skills for academia and industry.Read moreRead less
Imaging the youngest planets. Over 5000 exoplanets have been discovered, demonstrating that planet formation is a robust and widespread process. But we do not know how these planets, including those in our solar system, formed. Our group at Monash pioneered a new technique for detecting "baby" planets --- observed still embedded in the disc of gas and dust from which they are born. The project aims to characterise the youngest detected exoplanets with the world's largest telescopes, including ....Imaging the youngest planets. Over 5000 exoplanets have been discovered, demonstrating that planet formation is a robust and widespread process. But we do not know how these planets, including those in our solar system, formed. Our group at Monash pioneered a new technique for detecting "baby" planets --- observed still embedded in the disc of gas and dust from which they are born. The project aims to characterise the youngest detected exoplanets with the world's largest telescopes, including time already awarded on the James Webb Space Telescope. We will image these planets, and model their birth in 3D. The project will develop state of the art computer algorithms for simulating fluid flow and data analysis technics that can be applied to problems here on Earth. Read moreRead less
Lifting the Veil on Cold Planets in the Inner Galaxy. The project aims to explore a unique aspect of exoplanet detection: searches for cold planets of Earth mass and larger in the densest stellar fields of the inner Milky Way. Infrared cameras will be used to detect small planets in this extreme galactic environment. The proposed project will open a new era of infrared microlensing observations from the ground and supply critical data in preparation for the next generation of microlensing from s ....Lifting the Veil on Cold Planets in the Inner Galaxy. The project aims to explore a unique aspect of exoplanet detection: searches for cold planets of Earth mass and larger in the densest stellar fields of the inner Milky Way. Infrared cameras will be used to detect small planets in this extreme galactic environment. The proposed project will open a new era of infrared microlensing observations from the ground and supply critical data in preparation for the next generation of microlensing from space. This work directly links to the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope (2026 launch) Galactic Exoplanet Survey. Expected outcomes are a greatly improved understanding of planet formation down to terrestrial-mass planets, and improved techniques for cold planet detection with gravitational microlensing. Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL220100117
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,497,216.00
Summary
How Old Are The Stars? Looking Inside Stars with Asteroseismology. Stars are the building blocks of the Universe. Understanding their structure and evolution underpins much of modern astrophysics, from characterising the growing number of extra-solar planets to unravelling the history of our Milky Way Galaxy. This research program will use the technique of asteroseismology, the study of starquakes, to probe the interiors of stars in extraordinary detail and measure their ages with unprecedented ....How Old Are The Stars? Looking Inside Stars with Asteroseismology. Stars are the building blocks of the Universe. Understanding their structure and evolution underpins much of modern astrophysics, from characterising the growing number of extra-solar planets to unravelling the history of our Milky Way Galaxy. This research program will use the technique of asteroseismology, the study of starquakes, to probe the interiors of stars in extraordinary detail and measure their ages with unprecedented precision. Having accurate ages for large numbers of stars will help us understand how the Milky Way galaxy formed and developed. We will generate a deep understanding of the processes that occur inside stars, mentor a new generation of researchers and establish Australia as a world leader in stellar astrophysics.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100183
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$377,429.00
Summary
Understanding the birth of new elements by observing dying stars. Almost everything around us is made up of elements that were created inside stars. This project aims to understand the origin of the elements by studying newly created material ejected by Sun-like stars during one of the final stages of their lives. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of stellar evolution by using state-of-the-art telescopes to measure the elements and isotopes produced by these stars and c ....Understanding the birth of new elements by observing dying stars. Almost everything around us is made up of elements that were created inside stars. This project aims to understand the origin of the elements by studying newly created material ejected by Sun-like stars during one of the final stages of their lives. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of stellar evolution by using state-of-the-art telescopes to measure the elements and isotopes produced by these stars and comparing them with theoretical model predictions. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of element creation, the chemical enrichment of galaxies, and the first mass estimates for intermediate-mass stars. This should provide significant benefits by addressing a key outstanding question in astronomy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100150
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,000.00
Summary
How galactic mergers and their stellar survivors shaped our Milky Way. This project aims to investigate the role of mergers with smaller galaxies in shaping the Milky Way by developing tools to identify stellar survivors of mergers. This project expects to produce an all-sky map of stellar survivors based on the largest search within Australian and international survey data and perform innovative comparisons with simulations to constrain the role of mergers. Expected outcomes are aligned with th ....How galactic mergers and their stellar survivors shaped our Milky Way. This project aims to investigate the role of mergers with smaller galaxies in shaping the Milky Way by developing tools to identify stellar survivors of mergers. This project expects to produce an all-sky map of stellar survivors based on the largest search within Australian and international survey data and perform innovative comparisons with simulations to constrain the role of mergers. Expected outcomes are aligned with the decadal plan for Australian astronomy and can open new avenues for global astronomy and contracts for upcoming billion-dollar surveys. The project should cement Australia’s role as a leader in a new era of galactic exploration and provide benefits beyond astronomy by training Australians to assess complex big data.Read moreRead less
Binary stars and Planets. Aims: This project aims to study stellar and planetary systems in which the objects' spins are tilted with respect to their orbits, e.g., responsible for the seasons on earth. Significance: Observations show that many exoplanets and binary star systems are usually tilted, affecting their evolution.
Expected outcomes include understanding the final spin states of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes, and misaligned hot Jupiter systems.
Benefits: This project sh ....Binary stars and Planets. Aims: This project aims to study stellar and planetary systems in which the objects' spins are tilted with respect to their orbits, e.g., responsible for the seasons on earth. Significance: Observations show that many exoplanets and binary star systems are usually tilted, affecting their evolution.
Expected outcomes include understanding the final spin states of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes, and misaligned hot Jupiter systems.
Benefits: This project should bring together expertise in stellar modelling, the theory of tidal interactions, and binary dynamics to make first inroads on this problem by allowing for both differential rotation and varying spin direction inside the star, advancing our knowledge on stars and planets.Read moreRead less
Planet Formation at Solar System Scales with the James Webb Space Telescope. Planetary systems like our own form within vast disks of primordial gas and dust around newborn stars. This project will observe such disks spanning a range of ages with the James Webb Space Telescope to reveal the detailed in-situ physics of planet-forming disks themselves. We will deliver the sharpest-ever infrared images in astronomy, exploiting the only Australian-designed instrument on the spacecraft: the Aperture ....Planet Formation at Solar System Scales with the James Webb Space Telescope. Planetary systems like our own form within vast disks of primordial gas and dust around newborn stars. This project will observe such disks spanning a range of ages with the James Webb Space Telescope to reveal the detailed in-situ physics of planet-forming disks themselves. We will deliver the sharpest-ever infrared images in astronomy, exploiting the only Australian-designed instrument on the spacecraft: the Aperture Masking Interferometer. This yields new physics for actively growing protoplanets, carved rings and gaps in disks, and gravitationally sculpted patterns of leftover cometary debris. Confronting state-of-the-art models with these data will immediately yield profound insights into planetary system formation, including our own.Read moreRead less
On the origin of very massive back holes. This project aims to investigate the origin of massive black holes observed in recent years by gravitational wave detectors. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of very massive stars utilising stellar evolution models, hydrodynamic simulations, light curve calculations and supernova observations, in order to explain the unexpected absence of a gap in the black hole mass distribution. Expected outcomes of this project include a bett ....On the origin of very massive back holes. This project aims to investigate the origin of massive black holes observed in recent years by gravitational wave detectors. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of very massive stars utilising stellar evolution models, hydrodynamic simulations, light curve calculations and supernova observations, in order to explain the unexpected absence of a gap in the black hole mass distribution. Expected outcomes of this project include a better understanding of mass loss and the collapse of very massive stars as key factors for the observed black hole mass distribution.This should provide significant benefits for gravitational wave astronomy, but also for observations of stellar explosions by informing future survey strategies.
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