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
Development of an integrated methodology to assess dewatering system performance in solid-liquid separation. 3D visualisations of microstructures are possible with techniques such as confocal laser microscopy and high resolution X-ray microtomography. Data obtained in-situ enable direct computation of solids assembly properties and their permeability to fluids. A specific application involving aggregate formation and sediment networks could be evaluated through micro-scale analysis combined with ....Development of an integrated methodology to assess dewatering system performance in solid-liquid separation. 3D visualisations of microstructures are possible with techniques such as confocal laser microscopy and high resolution X-ray microtomography. Data obtained in-situ enable direct computation of solids assembly properties and their permeability to fluids. A specific application involving aggregate formation and sediment networks could be evaluated through micro-scale analysis combined with robust fluid flow simulations. The method can potentially be utilized to predict trends such as filtration behaviour of materials under different states of compression. This offers significant benefits in formulating the design of flocculated systems pertinent to a number of industrial sectors wishing to design optimum solid-liquid separation processes.Read moreRead less
Advanced materials and structures for terahertz science and technology. Anthrax, explosives, water, cancer all have characteristic signatures in the terahertz (THz) part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Security, defence, agriculture, medicine are some of the fields where THz science and technology are booming. THz developments offer enhanced national security, prosperity and quality of life. The lack of strong sources of THz radiation is the main factor hampering wider application of THz metho ....Advanced materials and structures for terahertz science and technology. Anthrax, explosives, water, cancer all have characteristic signatures in the terahertz (THz) part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Security, defence, agriculture, medicine are some of the fields where THz science and technology are booming. THz developments offer enhanced national security, prosperity and quality of life. The lack of strong sources of THz radiation is the main factor hampering wider application of THz methods. In this project two university research teams come together to develop more efficient THz emitters. The Darmstadt team will prepare novel materials and structures and the Wollongong team will evaluate them and provide feedback for the next iteration.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Bridge Monitoring System Based on the GPS and Pseudolite Technologies. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology can be used for precise deflection measurement of manmade structures such as buildings, bridges, etc. When integrated with additional signals from pseudolites (PL) that transmit GPS-like signals, changes in the height(s) of the monitored point(s) can be measured to millimetre accuracy. In collaboration with University of Nottingham researchers, a bridge structure in the ....An Integrated Bridge Monitoring System Based on the GPS and Pseudolite Technologies. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology can be used for precise deflection measurement of manmade structures such as buildings, bridges, etc. When integrated with additional signals from pseudolites (PL) that transmit GPS-like signals, changes in the height(s) of the monitored point(s) can be measured to millimetre accuracy. In collaboration with University of Nottingham researchers, a bridge structure in the U.K. will be used as a testbed, and will be the first time that PLs have been used for such an application. The expected outcomes include a suite of deformation monitoring algorithms capable of online analysis of the combined GPS-PL outputs.Read moreRead less
Active polymer surfaces for control of fluid movement. The realisation of a diverse array of remote or portable chemical/biological monitoring systems depends on the development of low power fluid management protocols. The use of appropriate conducting polymer surfaces should enable this to occur. We envisage the integration of these fluid management platforms into portable, remote autonomous monitoring systems for environmental industrial and biomedical applications.
CHAMP GPS-Altimetry. The proposed research project aims to develop a novel application for the Global Positioning System (GPS), namely the use of GPS signals reflected from sea- or ice-surfaces and received by Low-Earth-Orbiter (LEO) for determination of these surface heights. Data from the German satellite CHAMP will be used for this purpose, for selected regions in Antartica. CHAMP covers areas not visited by other remote sensing satellites. The Fellow is instrumental for obtaining and process ....CHAMP GPS-Altimetry. The proposed research project aims to develop a novel application for the Global Positioning System (GPS), namely the use of GPS signals reflected from sea- or ice-surfaces and received by Low-Earth-Orbiter (LEO) for determination of these surface heights. Data from the German satellite CHAMP will be used for this purpose, for selected regions in Antartica. CHAMP covers areas not visited by other remote sensing satellites. The Fellow is instrumental for obtaining and processing these CHAMP data.
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Biomechanics of Needle Insertion. Needle insertion is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures. However, the biomechanics of this process is poorly understood. The unknown factors include brain tissue deformation under load imposed by the needle and needle deflection when penetrating brain tissue. We will develop computational models of needle insertion. They will include non-linear material properties of the brain tissue, large deformations, and needle-tissue contact model including fric ....Biomechanics of Needle Insertion. Needle insertion is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures. However, the biomechanics of this process is poorly understood. The unknown factors include brain tissue deformation under load imposed by the needle and needle deflection when penetrating brain tissue. We will develop computational models of needle insertion. They will include non-linear material properties of the brain tissue, large deformations, and needle-tissue contact model including friction. The Japanese group will develop testing methods to validate mathematical models. Experimental set-up includes bi-axial x-ray to measure deformation within the tissue and needle deflection, and a sensor measuring reaction force on needle tip and friction force on needle sides.Read moreRead less