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
Advanced computer simulations of star cluster evolution. The topic of this fellowship is dynamical simulations of star clusters using high-end graphics cards originally developed for the computer gaming industry. The proposed fellowship will thereby enhance Australia's capacity in the exploitation of high-performance computing and will give it a strong position in the new field of graphics card based simulations. The computer cluster built during the fellowship will also be an outstanding enviro ....Advanced computer simulations of star cluster evolution. The topic of this fellowship is dynamical simulations of star clusters using high-end graphics cards originally developed for the computer gaming industry. The proposed fellowship will thereby enhance Australia's capacity in the exploitation of high-performance computing and will give it a strong position in the new field of graphics card based simulations. The computer cluster built during the fellowship will also be an outstanding environment for the training of students. In addition, while Australia has a strong tradition in star cluster astronomy, it has so far not captured a leadership role in the theoretical analysis. The four years of this fellowship will allow it to establish a world-leading position in star cluster simulations.Read moreRead less
Fusion Energy and the Physics of Burning Plasmas. The world faces a global energy crisis. Our standard of living, which is largely powered by base-load electricity supply, is unsustainable. Fusion power is a near zero greenhouse gas technology, which promises millions of years of base-load electricity, free from weapon proliferation. This promise has galvanised the international community to accelerate fusion development by committing to the next-step technology-enabling $16 billion experiment, ....Fusion Energy and the Physics of Burning Plasmas. The world faces a global energy crisis. Our standard of living, which is largely powered by base-load electricity supply, is unsustainable. Fusion power is a near zero greenhouse gas technology, which promises millions of years of base-load electricity, free from weapon proliferation. This promise has galvanised the international community to accelerate fusion development by committing to the next-step technology-enabling $16 billion experiment, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). In anticipation of ITER, this fellowship will foster growth of Australian fusion research, and address a grand science challenge facing ITER: how do we maintain burn in the face of potentially damaging plasma instabilities? The answer will affect both ITER and the viability of fusion power.Read moreRead less