Geophysical, Galactic, and Extra-Galactic Science with the AuScope and Australian Pathfinder Arrays. Two new radio telescope arrays are under construction in Australia. One is the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, near Geraldton. The other is a very long baseline array with antennae near Hobart, Katherine, and Yarragadee. These three antennae work together to observe radio sources far away across the universe. Their observations are used to establish a very accurate coordinate syste ....Geophysical, Galactic, and Extra-Galactic Science with the AuScope and Australian Pathfinder Arrays. Two new radio telescope arrays are under construction in Australia. One is the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, near Geraldton. The other is a very long baseline array with antennae near Hobart, Katherine, and Yarragadee. These three antennae work together to observe radio sources far away across the universe. Their observations are used to establish a very accurate coordinate system or reference frame on the earth, to which the global positioning system is aligned. This program will use these new radio telescope arrays to study the Milky Way and other galaxies, and to study continental drift and sea-level rise on the Earth.Read moreRead less
The scale and structure of the Milky Way. This project aims to use new Australian infrastructure to make the most accurate distance measurements to date in the southern Milky Way, completing the three-dimensional picture of our Galaxy. Australia's international standing in astronomy has led to it being one of the host countries for the square kilometre array project, which will bring significant economic and technological benefits to the country. This project builds upon Australia's astronomical ....The scale and structure of the Milky Way. This project aims to use new Australian infrastructure to make the most accurate distance measurements to date in the southern Milky Way, completing the three-dimensional picture of our Galaxy. Australia's international standing in astronomy has led to it being one of the host countries for the square kilometre array project, which will bring significant economic and technological benefits to the country. This project builds upon Australia's astronomical expertise and will provide the most accurate picture to date of the Milky Way. Astronomy provides unique opportunities for engaging the community in discussions of science and society and inspires students to study STEM subjects.Read moreRead less
A survey of the interstellar medium in the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. Between the stars in the Milky Way there are clouds of gas and dust; old stars eject heavy elements into this interstellar medium, and new stars form when interstellar clouds collapse under their own gravity. This survey is making maps of the interstellar gas using spectral lines at radio wavelengths to trace the cycle of star formation.
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: 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: DE130101399
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,799.00
Summary
Eternal struggle: star formation and black hole activity in galaxies. The histories of black holes and stars in galaxies are intricately linked. This project will dissect the link between them by using supercomputer models and the world's best radio telescopes. Understanding this connection is key to figuring out how galaxies have evolved.
The Occurrence of Cold Planets in the Galaxy. The project aims to explore a unique niche in exoplanet detection: searches for cold planets down to Earth mass, including ice giants and rogue free-floating planets. Infrared cameras and adaptive optics on large telescopes will be used to make accurate measurements of cold planets in diverse galactic environments. These are significant because they are completely different from most known exoplanets, being far from their host stars and unique probes ....The Occurrence of Cold Planets in the Galaxy. The project aims to explore a unique niche in exoplanet detection: searches for cold planets down to Earth mass, including ice giants and rogue free-floating planets. Infrared cameras and adaptive optics on large telescopes will be used to make accurate measurements of cold planets in diverse galactic environments. These are significant because they are completely different from most known exoplanets, being far from their host stars and unique probes of planet formation theory. Expected outcomes are a greatly improved understanding of planet formation, and improved techniques for cold planet detection with gravitational microlensing. The project will strongly benefit the next generation space-based programs planned for the next decade.Read moreRead less
General relativistic light propagation effects: new insight into cosmic voids, dark matter, dark energy, and Einstein's theory of gravity. This project aims to be the first to develop new methods which will allow accurate study of light propagation effects. These methods remove the “noise” (light propagation effects) from observational data, resulting in unprecedented accuracy of the analyses and new insight into properties of dark energy. At the same time these methods use the “noise” as the ac ....General relativistic light propagation effects: new insight into cosmic voids, dark matter, dark energy, and Einstein's theory of gravity. This project aims to be the first to develop new methods which will allow accurate study of light propagation effects. These methods remove the “noise” (light propagation effects) from observational data, resulting in unprecedented accuracy of the analyses and new insight into properties of dark energy. At the same time these methods use the “noise” as the actual signal to measure properties of the Universe, especially the mass distribution inside cosmic voids (places in the Universe avoided by galaxies), which will solve the problem of dark matter distribution inside cosmic voids. The project aims to use light propagation effects to test Einstein's theory of gravity at cosmological scales.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100055
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$275,000.00
Summary
Hidden Earths and distant Suns: a new optical astronomy observatory in Tasmania. This facility at the University of Tasmania will be a remotely operable 1.3 metre optical telescope with a suite of powerful scientific cameras. It will be used to hunt for Earth-like planets around other stars and to study the variability of stars like the Sun, helping to answer fundamental questions about the Universe and our place in it.