Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100013
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
A sensitive tip-tilt wave-front sensor for the multi-conjugate adaptive-optics system on the Gemini south telescope. A sensitive tip-tilt wavefront sensor for the multi-conjugate adaptive-optics system on the Gemini South telescope: This project will construct a sensitive tip-tilt wavefront sensor for GeMS, the multi-conjugate adaptive-optics system on the Gemini South telescope in Chile. GeMS is a unique and revolutionary new system that delivers near-infrared images at similar resolution to th ....A sensitive tip-tilt wave-front sensor for the multi-conjugate adaptive-optics system on the Gemini south telescope. A sensitive tip-tilt wavefront sensor for the multi-conjugate adaptive-optics system on the Gemini South telescope: This project will construct a sensitive tip-tilt wavefront sensor for GeMS, the multi-conjugate adaptive-optics system on the Gemini South telescope in Chile. GeMS is a unique and revolutionary new system that delivers near-infrared images at similar resolution to the Hubble Space Telescope at optical wavelengths over wide fields. With this improvement in technology it will be possible to do this on much fainter objects than is currently possible using this new wave-front sensor. This will allow GeMS to routinely study the morphologies of external galaxies at high angular resolution - greatly extending its science scope. Sharper images will also be obtained for all objects that are currently accessible, leading to higher quality science data.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100201
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$530,000.00
Summary
A major upgrade to the Australia Telescope Compact Array. This project aims to upgrade the $150m CSIRO Australia Telescope Compact Array ("the telescope"), by replacing the signal processing electronics and doubling the bandwidth. This will significantly enhance the performance of the telescope, enabling more ambitious science by the 450 researchers and students who use it each year. For example, it will enable the telescope to study radio counterparts to Gravitational Wave sources, and it will ....A major upgrade to the Australia Telescope Compact Array. This project aims to upgrade the $150m CSIRO Australia Telescope Compact Array ("the telescope"), by replacing the signal processing electronics and doubling the bandwidth. This will significantly enhance the performance of the telescope, enabling more ambitious science by the 450 researchers and students who use it each year. For example, it will enable the telescope to study radio counterparts to Gravitational Wave sources, and it will enable it to make detailed observations of initial discoveries made with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and other Australian telescopes. In short, it will enable Australian researchers to do more ambitious research, and make more discoveries, across broad areas of astrophysics.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100096
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,150,000.00
Summary
A next-generation receiver for Radio Astronomy. This project will provide a next-generation radio astronomy receiver to be used on the Parkes radio telescope. This facility will provide a major increase in performance, particularly in sensitivity and survey speed. The science goals are to better understand the ionized and neutral components of the cosmic web, and their evolution, through observations of Fast Radio Bursts and neutral hydrogen. Advances in the understanding of pulsars, molecules, ....A next-generation receiver for Radio Astronomy. This project will provide a next-generation radio astronomy receiver to be used on the Parkes radio telescope. This facility will provide a major increase in performance, particularly in sensitivity and survey speed. The science goals are to better understand the ionized and neutral components of the cosmic web, and their evolution, through observations of Fast Radio Bursts and neutral hydrogen. Advances in the understanding of pulsars, molecules, radio galaxies and cosmic rays will also be achieved with this facility. The technology is based on cryogenic cooling of a large phased array feed. This receiver is a major advance over existing receivers on the Parkes and Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescopes.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100094
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
The Mopra Radio Telescope. The Mopra Radio Telescope:
This project aims to use Australia’s Mopra Radio Telescope – the largest millimetre-wave dish in the southern hemisphere – to complete a survey of the distribution of molecular gas across the southern Milky Way. The millimetre-wavelength sky holds the key for understanding molecular clouds in which stars are born, and the Mopra Telescope is the world’s most capable facility for imaging these clouds. The expected outcome is an order of magnit ....The Mopra Radio Telescope. The Mopra Radio Telescope:
This project aims to use Australia’s Mopra Radio Telescope – the largest millimetre-wave dish in the southern hemisphere – to complete a survey of the distribution of molecular gas across the southern Milky Way. The millimetre-wavelength sky holds the key for understanding molecular clouds in which stars are born, and the Mopra Telescope is the world’s most capable facility for imaging these clouds. The expected outcome is an order of magnitude improvement in the clarity of our view of this central component of the Galaxy. The project also aims to enable Mopra to serve as a key element in the Australian Long Baseline Array. The project aims to ensure Australian involvement in three grand design international endeavours.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101364
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,720.00
Summary
Exploring Distant Worlds using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration space telescope Kepler is currently revolutionising planetary and stellar astrophysics through the detection of thousands of new extrasolar planets and oscillating stars. This project will use Kepler data to measure oscillations in exoplanet host stars, detect new planets around red-giant stars and improve our understanding of all stars observed by Kepler. The results are expected to y ....Exploring Distant Worlds using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration space telescope Kepler is currently revolutionising planetary and stellar astrophysics through the detection of thousands of new extrasolar planets and oscillating stars. This project will use Kepler data to measure oscillations in exoplanet host stars, detect new planets around red-giant stars and improve our understanding of all stars observed by Kepler. The results are expected to yield the first precisely measured radius of an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone around a Sun-like star, lead to breakthrough discoveries in the theory of the formation and composition of gas-giant planets and result in the first accurate estimate of the frequency of Earth-like planets in our galaxy.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
New frontiers for Australian exoplanetary science. There can be few questions more fundamental for a scientist's research to address than 'Is our home here on Earth unique? Or ubiquitous?' This project will undertake world-leading observations using revolutionary new Australian facilities, to enable breakthrough results that bear on this question.