The next wave of asteroseismic discovery using NASA’s TESS mission. This project aims to make advances in astrophysics by capitalising on NASA’s upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission and recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Through an innovative approach to analyse big datasets, the project expects to generate new knowledge in the key areas of planet formation, stellar structure, and the Galaxy’s evolution. Outcomes include strong international links to leadin ....The next wave of asteroseismic discovery using NASA’s TESS mission. This project aims to make advances in astrophysics by capitalising on NASA’s upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission and recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Through an innovative approach to analyse big datasets, the project expects to generate new knowledge in the key areas of planet formation, stellar structure, and the Galaxy’s evolution. Outcomes include strong international links to leading institutions and enhanced capacity for Australia to be part of cutting-edge space exploration. The methods and skills developed by the project should provide significant benefits to other data-driven sciences and help build smarter business models and improved decision making in industry and government in our increasingly data-dependent economy.Read moreRead less
The pathway to planets: formation of protoplanetary discs. This project aims to expand our knowledge of how planetary systems are born. Observations are bringing new insight into the structure of discs of dusty gas orbiting young stars, but not in sufficient detail to understand how planets form within them. This project aims to link the structure of discs to the well-characterised interstellar cloud cores that collapse to form star-disc systems. The project aspires to use innovative techniques ....The pathway to planets: formation of protoplanetary discs. This project aims to expand our knowledge of how planetary systems are born. Observations are bringing new insight into the structure of discs of dusty gas orbiting young stars, but not in sufficient detail to understand how planets form within them. This project aims to link the structure of discs to the well-characterised interstellar cloud cores that collapse to form star-disc systems. The project aspires to use innovative techniques to enable the rapid collapse calculations needed to map core properties to disc structure. Expected outcomes include knowledge of the disc structures critical to interpreting observations of forming planetary systems. The benefit will be guidance to the theory needed to explain the incredible variety of planetary systems we see today.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100012
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,000.00
Summary
Exploring the Dynamic Universe with DREAMS. DREAMS is a revolutionary wide-field infrared surveyor designed to allow astronomers to unlock new science and foster international collaborations focused on important but elusive, infrared transient cosmic phenomena. Continually scanning the southern sky, DREAMS will provide “real time” data that will transform the depth and quality of astronomical observation. Combining off-the-shelf parts with scientific expertise from around the world, this telesco ....Exploring the Dynamic Universe with DREAMS. DREAMS is a revolutionary wide-field infrared surveyor designed to allow astronomers to unlock new science and foster international collaborations focused on important but elusive, infrared transient cosmic phenomena. Continually scanning the southern sky, DREAMS will provide “real time” data that will transform the depth and quality of astronomical observation. Combining off-the-shelf parts with scientific expertise from around the world, this telescope will help answer questions that are both practical and profound. DREAMS is an important component of a longer-term international strategy that will reinforce Australia’s global leadership in the realm of Infrared Transient Astronomy.Read moreRead less
Supernovae as the origin of antimatter in our galaxy. This project aims to uncover the origin of the bulk of the antimatter in our Milky Way Galaxy. Astrophysicists have known for forty years that our Galaxy glows with gamma-rays emitted by the annihilation of huge numbers of positrons, the antimatter partners to electrons. Certain supernovae are the likely source of these positrons. To fully investigate this idea and its ramifications, this project will perform three-dimensional supercomputer s ....Supernovae as the origin of antimatter in our galaxy. This project aims to uncover the origin of the bulk of the antimatter in our Milky Way Galaxy. Astrophysicists have known for forty years that our Galaxy glows with gamma-rays emitted by the annihilation of huge numbers of positrons, the antimatter partners to electrons. Certain supernovae are the likely source of these positrons. To fully investigate this idea and its ramifications, this project will perform three-dimensional supercomputer simulations of thermonuclear supernova explosions. This project aspires to resolve a long-standing mystery in astrophysics and provide an exemplar for best usage of Australian investment in astronomy and supercomputing infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Understanding other worlds: the composition, structure and evolution of exoplanet atmospheres. This project will advance our understanding of the rapidly growing number of planets being found around other stars. The project will develop new techniques to determine what their atmospheres are made of, how the planets form and evolve, and whether they have the potential to host life.
Characterization of extrasolar planets using high-precision polarimetry. Close to a thousand exoplanets have been found since the discovery of a planet around a Sun-like star, 51 Peg in 1995. With the Kepler space telescope, we are now capable of finding Earth-size worlds around other stars. But how do we know if these Earth-like planets have all the right ingredients for life like ours to flourish? Polarimetry is a powerful method of exoplanet characterisation that could one day answer such que ....Characterization of extrasolar planets using high-precision polarimetry. Close to a thousand exoplanets have been found since the discovery of a planet around a Sun-like star, 51 Peg in 1995. With the Kepler space telescope, we are now capable of finding Earth-size worlds around other stars. But how do we know if these Earth-like planets have all the right ingredients for life like ours to flourish? Polarimetry is a powerful method of exoplanet characterisation that could one day answer such questions and can be applied, right now, to the giant planets. An innovative, portable polarimeter will be developed, that will be used to understand the atmospheric composition of exoplanets. Polarimetry is a promising method, which in the future may be the first method that can detect liquid water on extrasolar planets.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100165
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$792,859.00
Summary
Veloce Verde+Azzuro - Tripling the Power of Australia's Planet Foundry. This project aims to better understand humanity’s place in the Universe, including questions such as whether we are alone or if our home in the Solar System is unique or common. This project will enable new observations using a revolutionary Australian facility, Veloce Verde+Azzuro. Moving beyond discovering habitable planets around dim red stars, it will enable science on the properties and system architectures of planets o ....Veloce Verde+Azzuro - Tripling the Power of Australia's Planet Foundry. This project aims to better understand humanity’s place in the Universe, including questions such as whether we are alone or if our home in the Solar System is unique or common. This project will enable new observations using a revolutionary Australian facility, Veloce Verde+Azzuro. Moving beyond discovering habitable planets around dim red stars, it will enable science on the properties and system architectures of planets orbiting stars like the Sun. It will deliver a ten-fold increase in collecting power for Sun-like stars, providing understanding of how exoplanetary systems, and our Solar System, were formed.Read moreRead less
The Gaia/Kepler revolution for asteroseismology and exoplanets. This project aims to combine the first results from the Gaia mission with Kepler data to improve understanding of stars and planets. The study of the structure and evolution of stars and planets in our galaxy is one of the most rapidly growing fields in astronomy. While the NASA Kepler Mission has discovered thousands of exoplanets and oscillating stars, poor knowledge of their distances has been a limitation in exploiting the data. ....The Gaia/Kepler revolution for asteroseismology and exoplanets. This project aims to combine the first results from the Gaia mission with Kepler data to improve understanding of stars and planets. The study of the structure and evolution of stars and planets in our galaxy is one of the most rapidly growing fields in astronomy. While the NASA Kepler Mission has discovered thousands of exoplanets and oscillating stars, poor knowledge of their distances has been a limitation in exploiting the data. The project is expected to yield an empirical calibration of asteroseismology, and lead to breakthrough discoveries in understanding masses and interior rotation in intermediate mass stars to accurately estimate the frequency of Earth-like planets in our galaxy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100953
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,000.00
Summary
Directly imaging exoplanets with astrophotonic innovation. Understanding our place in the universe and the possibility of life are profound questions. This project aims to develop innovative astro-photonic technologies to enable imaging of Earth-like planets beyond our solar system, and to perform unprecedented observations. The project expects to generate new knowledge and innovation in exoplanet science and photonics. Expected outcomes include the first glimpse of the most Earth-like planet to ....Directly imaging exoplanets with astrophotonic innovation. Understanding our place in the universe and the possibility of life are profound questions. This project aims to develop innovative astro-photonic technologies to enable imaging of Earth-like planets beyond our solar system, and to perform unprecedented observations. The project expects to generate new knowledge and innovation in exoplanet science and photonics. Expected outcomes include the first glimpse of the most Earth-like planet to date, and the development of ground-breaking technology. Benefits include technological innovation — benefiting fields such as remote-sensing, space-communications, life-science imaging, as well as astronomy — and revealing key insights into our planet’s history and the potential for life in the universe.Read moreRead less
Stellar chemical signatures of planet formation. Through demanding observations with the largest telescopes and extremely accurate analyses, the project will search for the characteristic fingerprints of planet formation imprinted in the chemical compositions of the sun and stars that we have discovered. The work will shed light on the origin of the solar system and identify stars harbouring planets.