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The growth of giant black holes in the early universe. This project aims to discover the largest black holes in the early universe and their origin, and weigh them using infrared spectroscopy. Giant black holes at the centres of galaxies reach masses over ten billion times that of our Sun. Astronomy has revealed the origin of black holes with masses similar to that of the Sun, but remains puzzled by the existence of those with masses many million times larger. This project will reveal pathways o ....The growth of giant black holes in the early universe. This project aims to discover the largest black holes in the early universe and their origin, and weigh them using infrared spectroscopy. Giant black holes at the centres of galaxies reach masses over ten billion times that of our Sun. Astronomy has revealed the origin of black holes with masses similar to that of the Sun, but remains puzzled by the existence of those with masses many million times larger. This project will reveal pathways of black-hole growth early after the Big Bang. The project will shed light on the evolution of galaxies in the early universe and prepare the ground for new work by other scientists, for example on the origin of the elements.Read moreRead less
Characterising satellites using un-resolved optical observations . Space situational awareness is a critical priority for Australian national security and the commercial space sector as the economy is investing in space. Space debris is a growing international threat to all major economies that rely on space for communications and defence. This project will understand how defunct satellites degrade over time to produce space debris. To accomplish this the project will collaborate with the Polish ....Characterising satellites using un-resolved optical observations . Space situational awareness is a critical priority for Australian national security and the commercial space sector as the economy is investing in space. Space debris is a growing international threat to all major economies that rely on space for communications and defence. This project will understand how defunct satellites degrade over time to produce space debris. To accomplish this the project will collaborate with the Polish Space Agency to employ low resolution spectroscopy to measure the surface degradation of geostationary satellites. Read moreRead less
Seeing Dark with Light: Revealing the Milky Way with Stellar Streams. This project aims to reveal the dark matter that envelops the Milky Way, deconstructing its mass through observations of cannibalised smaller galaxies. Uniting ground- and space-based observations, this project expects to uncover the detailed size and shape of the Galaxy's dark matter halo through dynamical modelling of dwarf galaxies as they are disrupted by Galactic tidal forces. As well as determining this dominant mass, th ....Seeing Dark with Light: Revealing the Milky Way with Stellar Streams. This project aims to reveal the dark matter that envelops the Milky Way, deconstructing its mass through observations of cannibalised smaller galaxies. Uniting ground- and space-based observations, this project expects to uncover the detailed size and shape of the Galaxy's dark matter halo through dynamical modelling of dwarf galaxies as they are disrupted by Galactic tidal forces. As well as determining this dominant mass, the expected outcomes of this project include a unique snapshot of the evolution of our Milky Way. Leveraging major international collaborations and producing high-impact scientific results, this project will address the primal question of origins, yielding important societal and cultural benefits.Read moreRead less
DYNAMICS OF EARTH'S RADIATION BELTS. Space weather is produced by rapid variations in wave fields and particle populations in near-Earth space, and has many effects. These include damage to spacecraft (causing operational anomalies and loss of service), degrading the performance of GPS, space-ground, HF radio and cable-based networks, and affecting surveillance radars. The core aim of this project is to improve knowledge of the waves and particles causing these effects. While being important to ....DYNAMICS OF EARTH'S RADIATION BELTS. Space weather is produced by rapid variations in wave fields and particle populations in near-Earth space, and has many effects. These include damage to spacecraft (causing operational anomalies and loss of service), degrading the performance of GPS, space-ground, HF radio and cable-based networks, and affecting surveillance radars. The core aim of this project is to improve knowledge of the waves and particles causing these effects. While being important to aerospace engineers, this work also consolidates Australia's international space profile and provides excellent training in this field. Since space weather causes significant radiation exposure to aircraft crew and passengers this work also has broader ramifications.Read moreRead less
Ring Current and Radiation Belt Dynamics. Outbursts of energy from the Sun manifest themselves as geomagnetic storms in the Earth's magnetosphere. These storms can severely disrupt and damage advanced technological systems operating on the ground and in space. Operational spacecraft may experience anomalies, pipelines in the long term may corrode and the performance of GPS navigational systems, HF (High Frequency) communications systems, mobile/cell telephone networks and defence surveillance ra ....Ring Current and Radiation Belt Dynamics. Outbursts of energy from the Sun manifest themselves as geomagnetic storms in the Earth's magnetosphere. These storms can severely disrupt and damage advanced technological systems operating on the ground and in space. Operational spacecraft may experience anomalies, pipelines in the long term may corrode and the performance of GPS navigational systems, HF (High Frequency) communications systems, mobile/cell telephone networks and defence surveillance radars may be degraded. It is important to understand the magnetospheric conditions contributing to these problems. This research identifies relevant mechanisms. It also enhances Australia's international space research profile, contributes to Australia's future and supports excellent postgraduate training.Read moreRead less
Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves and Magnetosphere Plasma Dynamics. Space weather, manifest as magnetic storms in the Earth's magnetosphere, can severely disrupt and damage advanced technological systems operating in space and on the ground. Spacecraft may experience operational anomalies, pipeline corrosion may eventuate in the long term, and the performance of GPS navigation systems, HF communication systems, mobile phone networks, and surveillance radars, may be degraded. Knowledge of the ....Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves and Magnetosphere Plasma Dynamics. Space weather, manifest as magnetic storms in the Earth's magnetosphere, can severely disrupt and damage advanced technological systems operating in space and on the ground. Spacecraft may experience operational anomalies, pipeline corrosion may eventuate in the long term, and the performance of GPS navigation systems, HF communication systems, mobile phone networks, and surveillance radars, may be degraded. Knowledge of the near-Earth space environment under which these problems occur is extremely important. This project identifies relevant mechanisms. The research consolidates Australia's international space profile, provides excellent postgraduate training in the field, and contributes to Australia's future technological development.Read moreRead less
Current-free double layers applied to astrophysical objects and space propulsion. The collaboration between the ANU research group and European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) ASTRIUM, the largest European aerospace company, is a unique opportunity for Australia to capitalize on the new discovery of the Helicon Double Layer Thruster made at the ANU. This will allow the Australian space community to stay abreast of international developments in space propulsion and to be with the fore ....Current-free double layers applied to astrophysical objects and space propulsion. The collaboration between the ANU research group and European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) ASTRIUM, the largest European aerospace company, is a unique opportunity for Australia to capitalize on the new discovery of the Helicon Double Layer Thruster made at the ANU. This will allow the Australian space community to stay abreast of international developments in space propulsion and to be with the forerunners of this new technology. ANU will have direct access to EADS-ASTRIUM via the relationships developed in this project putting Australia in the enviable position of being an insider in future space developments concerning plasma thrusters and space technology in general.Read moreRead less
New Statistical Techniques for Galactic Archaeology. This project aims to develop methods that will enable us to exploit new astronomical data. A revolution is under way in stellar astronomy, with new space satellites and Australian survey instruments about to reveal the composition of millions of stars. These data hold the promise of disentangling the origin of our galaxy through identification of star-forming groups that have long ago dispersed into our galaxy. We can also learn about the nucl ....New Statistical Techniques for Galactic Archaeology. This project aims to develop methods that will enable us to exploit new astronomical data. A revolution is under way in stellar astronomy, with new space satellites and Australian survey instruments about to reveal the composition of millions of stars. These data hold the promise of disentangling the origin of our galaxy through identification of star-forming groups that have long ago dispersed into our galaxy. We can also learn about the nuclear and stellar processes that were active in long-dead stars, and hence explain why the Universe is the way it is. This project aims to extend the powerful Minimum Message Length method, never before used in astronomy, to handle this data. This would put us in a unique position to extract new knowledge from the data that will arrive in the next one to five years.Read moreRead less
Extreme events: mining the radio sky for gamma-ray bursts with intelligent algorithms. Gamma-ray bursts and supernova explosions are some of the most extreme events in the Universe, and working out what causes them, and other transient phenomena, will give us new physical insights. The project will search, using next generation telescopes and intelligent algorithms, to find these 'needles in a haystack'.
Real-Time Searches for Gravitational Waves and Identification of Their Radio and Optical Counterparts. The proposed project will directly address the national research priority in development of frontier technologies, directly involve Australians in frontier work in gravitational wave astronomy that will result in break-through sciences and improve the chance of the international Square-Kilometer-Array project being sited at Australia. In addition, it will foster a close collaboration of top int ....Real-Time Searches for Gravitational Waves and Identification of Their Radio and Optical Counterparts. The proposed project will directly address the national research priority in development of frontier technologies, directly involve Australians in frontier work in gravitational wave astronomy that will result in break-through sciences and improve the chance of the international Square-Kilometer-Array project being sited at Australia. In addition, it will foster a close collaboration of top international researchers with an Australian team. The research at The University of Western Australia will attract students from around the world and serve to educate and inspire young people in Australia.Read moreRead less