Dissecting galaxy evolution. This project will exploit new Australian optical fibre technology to produce a next-generation galaxy survey with spatially resolved spectroscopy. Outstanding issues in galaxy formation will be addressed, directly discerning the mechanisms behind the triggering and suppression of star formation as well as the feeding of super-massive black holes.
Venturing into the Cluster Desert. Fundamental questions that ask about the nature and the fate of the Universe are of interest not only to astronomers, but also to the general public. In particular, the realisation that the Universe is dominated by dark energy has sparked wide public interest. We still know very little about dark energy. Is it Einstein's famous cosmological constant or something more exotic, such as a new particle or even new physics? This proposal aims to build a sample of ver ....Venturing into the Cluster Desert. Fundamental questions that ask about the nature and the fate of the Universe are of interest not only to astronomers, but also to the general public. In particular, the realisation that the Universe is dominated by dark energy has sparked wide public interest. We still know very little about dark energy. Is it Einstein's famous cosmological constant or something more exotic, such as a new particle or even new physics? This proposal aims to build a sample of very distant galaxy clusters that can then be used to search for a very special type of supernova - the Type Ia Supernova, which can be used as a tool to learn about the properties of dark energy. Read moreRead less
Unveiling the Galaxy: Dense Gas and Star Formation in the Milky Way. This project aims to address one of the most fundamental problems in astrophysics - understanding how high-mass stars form - by utilising a new, innovative, purpose-designed astronomical survey. This project will generate new knowledge about the star formation process by interfacing theoretical predictions with novel observations, aided by the most accurate distances yet derived. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive unders ....Unveiling the Galaxy: Dense Gas and Star Formation in the Milky Way. This project aims to address one of the most fundamental problems in astrophysics - understanding how high-mass stars form - by utilising a new, innovative, purpose-designed astronomical survey. This project will generate new knowledge about the star formation process by interfacing theoretical predictions with novel observations, aided by the most accurate distances yet derived. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive understanding of star formation, and an unparalleled map of the dense gas structure of our Galaxy. This should provide significant benefits, such as the crucial insight needed to interpret future sensitive, high-resolution surveys with next generation, globe-spanning telescopes in which Australia is a key partner.Read moreRead less
Cosmic origins: How do galaxies build chemical complexity over cosmic time? This project aims to answer questions of how the chemical complexity required to form stars, planets and life arose through cosmic history. Galaxies are the chemical factories of the Universe. Over the life of the cosmos, they have built reservoirs of the elements required to make stars and planets. Yet we have no complete theory of how this process unfolds or how different galaxy types form. By using advanced instrument ....Cosmic origins: How do galaxies build chemical complexity over cosmic time? This project aims to answer questions of how the chemical complexity required to form stars, planets and life arose through cosmic history. Galaxies are the chemical factories of the Universe. Over the life of the cosmos, they have built reservoirs of the elements required to make stars and planets. Yet we have no complete theory of how this process unfolds or how different galaxy types form. By using advanced instrumentation and developing innovative computational techniques, this project aims to use the motions and chemistry of stars to map the history of galaxies in a new way. This would establish where and when stars formed in different galaxies, revealing the importance of black holes, dark matter, galaxy collisions and local environment in the build-up of chemical complexity in our Universe.Read moreRead less
The impact of impact: what stops star formation in cluster galaxies? This project aims to explain the fundamental differences observed in the star forming properties of galaxies in high and low density environments. This will be achieved by using innovative technology to observe the spatially resolved star forming properties of galaxies in clusters of galaxies, the densest and most extreme environments. These observations will be coupled with a new method for defining galaxy environments, which ....The impact of impact: what stops star formation in cluster galaxies? This project aims to explain the fundamental differences observed in the star forming properties of galaxies in high and low density environments. This will be achieved by using innovative technology to observe the spatially resolved star forming properties of galaxies in clusters of galaxies, the densest and most extreme environments. These observations will be coupled with a new method for defining galaxy environments, which is based on physical properties. The combination of these techniques will be used to establish the degree to which the physical mechanisms acting in clusters impact the star forming properties of infalling galaxies. This will significantly advance understandings of the impact of environment on galaxy evolution.Read moreRead less
Monster galaxies: Extreme limits on galaxy formation. Despite decades of observation, simulations and modelling, the growth and history of the most massive galaxies in the Universe still cannot be explained. This project aims to use massive galaxies identified in the latest generation of galaxy surveys, combined with the latest technology for measuring detailed galaxy properties, to resolve the question of how these galaxies have grown in mass over the last 3 billion years.
Closing the Solar Cycle. This project aims to decisively settle the debate about the mechanism driving magnetic activity on the surface of the Sun. By drawing on extensive, big-data analysis of solar observations the project intends to use the technique of helioseismology to reveal differences in the statistical evolution of magnetic regions. Expected outcomes of this project will powerfully refine our models of the interaction between convective flows and magnetic fields in the Sun, resulting i ....Closing the Solar Cycle. This project aims to decisively settle the debate about the mechanism driving magnetic activity on the surface of the Sun. By drawing on extensive, big-data analysis of solar observations the project intends to use the technique of helioseismology to reveal differences in the statistical evolution of magnetic regions. Expected outcomes of this project will powerfully refine our models of the interaction between convective flows and magnetic fields in the Sun, resulting in a leap forward in solar dynamo theory, one of the fundamental problems in astrophysics. The anticipated benefits include moving from nowcasting to forecasting space weather, mitigating the billion dollar economic effects of geomagnetic storms.Read moreRead less
Time takes its toll: understanding why galaxies slow down as they get older. The spin of galaxies is slowing down and nobody really knows why. This dynamical transformation is predicted by theoretical simulations, but different simulations disagree on its exact causes and their relative importance. Until recently, the data required to map the gas and stars in galaxies during the transition and identify its root causes in galaxies around 3-4 billion years ago were critically lacking. This project ....Time takes its toll: understanding why galaxies slow down as they get older. The spin of galaxies is slowing down and nobody really knows why. This dynamical transformation is predicted by theoretical simulations, but different simulations disagree on its exact causes and their relative importance. Until recently, the data required to map the gas and stars in galaxies during the transition and identify its root causes in galaxies around 3-4 billion years ago were critically lacking. This project leverages on a new dataset designed to directly detect and address this important unknown. Expected outcomes are a reliable measurement of the dynamical evolution of galaxies, identification of its physical drivers and important new constraints for theoretical simulations of galaxy formation.Read moreRead less
How to measure what cannot be seen: the dark matter that surrounds galaxies. This project aims to use a new approach to measuring dark matter, based on the way that it curves spacetime around it. These new techniques, combined with data from the latest generation of Australian astronomical facilities, are designed to enable the project to make the first direct measurements of the dark matter that surrounds galaxies. The stellar-to-halo mass relation encodes basic information about the processes ....How to measure what cannot be seen: the dark matter that surrounds galaxies. This project aims to use a new approach to measuring dark matter, based on the way that it curves spacetime around it. These new techniques, combined with data from the latest generation of Australian astronomical facilities, are designed to enable the project to make the first direct measurements of the dark matter that surrounds galaxies. The stellar-to-halo mass relation encodes basic information about the processes that govern galaxy formation and evolution, and represents a crucial test for cosmological models of structure formation. The project aims to measure the effect of gravitational lensing, which enable the measurement of the total masses of the dark matter halos around individual galaxies, and thus measurement of the stellar-to-halo mass relation.Read moreRead less
How do galaxies get their gas? This project aims to build new understanding about the fundamental physics behind how galaxies get their gas. The way gas is accreted in galaxies affects how stars are made and what galaxies look like, including our own milky way. This project expects to build a new robotic instrument for three dimensional spectroscopy of galaxies, called Hector-I, to establish and run the Hector Galaxy Survey, the largest of its kind ever conducted. This survey data set will under ....How do galaxies get their gas? This project aims to build new understanding about the fundamental physics behind how galaxies get their gas. The way gas is accreted in galaxies affects how stars are made and what galaxies look like, including our own milky way. This project expects to build a new robotic instrument for three dimensional spectroscopy of galaxies, called Hector-I, to establish and run the Hector Galaxy Survey, the largest of its kind ever conducted. This survey data set will underpin broad investigations of gas accretion and the impact on the physical properties of galaxies. The project will clarify why our own galaxy looks so different to others, demonstrate Australian technologies for future commercialisation on international facilities, and train students for a high quality workforce.Read moreRead less