Illuminating the Universe with Exploding Stars. We are using Exploding Stars (Supernovae and Gamma Ray Bursts) to measure fundamental properties of the Universe. We use Type Ia Supernovaeto trace the Expansion History of the Universe and learn about the nature of the Dark Energy which currently dominates the Universe. We use Gamma Ray Bursts to illuminate the gas in and around galaxies to measure the chemical composition and structure of the Early Universe.
The Early History of Dark Energy. The national benefit will be the inclusion of Australian researchers (Glazebrook and his students/postdocs) in a major UK-Japanese international research project to study dark energy. This will be the successor to the highly successful WiggleZ project (on which Glazebrook is a designer and CI) using the much larger mirror of Subaru to push back the mapping of cosmic sound to much earlier epochs in the history of the Universe. Although Australia built parts of th ....The Early History of Dark Energy. The national benefit will be the inclusion of Australian researchers (Glazebrook and his students/postdocs) in a major UK-Japanese international research project to study dark energy. This will be the successor to the highly successful WiggleZ project (on which Glazebrook is a designer and CI) using the much larger mirror of Subaru to push back the mapping of cosmic sound to much earlier epochs in the history of the Universe. Although Australia built parts of the FMOS instrument (under contract) there is currently no national right of access to any of the science surveys so it is only by developing these collaborations that we can capitalize on our innovative instrument design.Read moreRead less
ARENA: Antarctic Research, a European Network for Astronomy. With compelling evidence now growing that the world's best astronomical observing sites for optical/infrared astronomy are located on the high plateau of Australia's Antarctic Territory, a race is underway to establish the first major observing facilities there. The European Union have recently funded a network of 20 leading research institutes to coordinate the development of enabling technologies and astronomical programs in Antarct ....ARENA: Antarctic Research, a European Network for Astronomy. With compelling evidence now growing that the world's best astronomical observing sites for optical/infrared astronomy are located on the high plateau of Australia's Antarctic Territory, a race is underway to establish the first major observing facilities there. The European Union have recently funded a network of 20 leading research institutes to coordinate the development of enabling technologies and astronomical programs in Antarctica, with a view to constructing a so-called 'Great Observatory'. Australia's participation in this network ensures continued technology exchange and builds our knowledge base in robotics, harsh-environment engineering and computational fluid dynamics, while creating important new astronomical opportunities.Read moreRead less
ARENA: Antarctic Research, a European Network for Astronomy. With compelling evidence that the world's best astronomical observing sites for optical/infrared astronomy are located on the high plateau of Australia's Antarctic Territory, efforts are underway to establish the first major observing facilities there. The European Union has recently funded a network of 20 leading research institutes to coordinate the development of enabling technologies and astronomical programs in Antarctica, with a ....ARENA: Antarctic Research, a European Network for Astronomy. With compelling evidence that the world's best astronomical observing sites for optical/infrared astronomy are located on the high plateau of Australia's Antarctic Territory, efforts are underway to establish the first major observing facilities there. The European Union has recently funded a network of 20 leading research institutes to coordinate the development of enabling technologies and astronomical programs in Antarctica, with a view to constructing a so-called 'Great Observatory'. Australia's participation in this network ensures continued technology exchange and builds our knowledge base in robotics, harsh-environment engineering and computational fluid dynamics, while creating important new astronomical opportunities.Read moreRead less
Collaboration with The NANTEN2 International Star Formation Consortium. Through this collaboration Australia, for a very modest sum, will gain its first direct access to the astronomical facilities of the Atacama plateau, one of the best sites for investigating star formation on the Earth. The project fosters international collaboration, and raises the profile of Australian science and facilities by bringing together astronomers from Australia, Japan, Germany, Korea, Chile and Switzerland.The co ....Collaboration with The NANTEN2 International Star Formation Consortium. Through this collaboration Australia, for a very modest sum, will gain its first direct access to the astronomical facilities of the Atacama plateau, one of the best sites for investigating star formation on the Earth. The project fosters international collaboration, and raises the profile of Australian science and facilities by bringing together astronomers from Australia, Japan, Germany, Korea, Chile and Switzerland.The collaborations formed during this project will enable Australian scientists future access to new front-line telescopes such as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), due to commence operations in 2010. Read moreRead less
Near-field Cosmology with Globular Clusters. Globular star clusters are the astronomical equivalent of fossils, and as such they provide unique insight into the early epochs of the Universe. This project will establish a link between two world-leading research groups in this area. This Australian-Canadian collaboration will train the next generation of PhD students, create innovative 3D visualisation applications and produce a book on globular clusters.
Cosmic evolution of radio galaxies. The proposed research will use the telescopes in Australia in novel configurations to address a key astrophysical problem in modern day cosmology: the role of the central black hole in regulating galaxy growth and evolution. This research project will be a showcase of Australian technical innovation and scientific know-how. At the same time it provides an excellent opportunity to promote and strengthen research links between Australia and India in the field ....Cosmic evolution of radio galaxies. The proposed research will use the telescopes in Australia in novel configurations to address a key astrophysical problem in modern day cosmology: the role of the central black hole in regulating galaxy growth and evolution. This research project will be a showcase of Australian technical innovation and scientific know-how. At the same time it provides an excellent opportunity to promote and strengthen research links between Australia and India in the field of radio astronomy. The exchange of researchers in this field has important strategic value in strengthening Australia's bid to host the next generation international radio telescope, known as the Square Kilometre Array.Read moreRead less
The White Dwarf Luminosity Function and the History of Star Formation in the Galaxy. The numbers of white dwarfs at different brightnesses and colours maps out a continuous record of the star formation history of the Milky Way. Our program seeks to unravel that history using white dwarfs discovered with the SkyMapper Survey and thereby understand how our Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies evolved the form and mixture of sub-structures that we see today. These results will be widely disseminated ....The White Dwarf Luminosity Function and the History of Star Formation in the Galaxy. The numbers of white dwarfs at different brightnesses and colours maps out a continuous record of the star formation history of the Milky Way. Our program seeks to unravel that history using white dwarfs discovered with the SkyMapper Survey and thereby understand how our Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies evolved the form and mixture of sub-structures that we see today. These results will be widely disseminated stimulating interest in the natural sciences amongst the general public and the nation's youth. We will train young researchers in cutting edge science, enhancing skills in data analysis, stellar atmosphere and interior computations and problem solving. Read moreRead less
The Early Epochs of the Milky Way Galaxy. By determining the chemical compositions and space velocities of the oldest stars in our Milky Way Galaxy, our program seeks to understand the first objects in the Universe and the manner in which the Galaxy formed. Our team will utilize a program that is observing 250,000 Milky Way stars and seek access to the world's largest telescopes to a monetary value of several million dollars - stimulating interest in the natural sciences among the general public ....The Early Epochs of the Milky Way Galaxy. By determining the chemical compositions and space velocities of the oldest stars in our Milky Way Galaxy, our program seeks to understand the first objects in the Universe and the manner in which the Galaxy formed. Our team will utilize a program that is observing 250,000 Milky Way stars and seek access to the world's largest telescopes to a monetary value of several million dollars - stimulating interest in the natural sciences among the general public and the nation's youth. It will train young researchers in cutting-edge science, enhancing skills in data analysis, problem solving, project management, and effective communications.Read moreRead less
The fossil record of galaxy formation. This Australian-led team recently used the Anglo-Australian Telescope to discover large numbers of a new type of very small galaxy in the centres of two galaxy clusters. This project will maintain Australian leadership in this new area of astrophysics research, whilst using the best international expertise and facilities.