Caught in the act by PAndAS: An unparalleled view of galaxy evolution. How do galaxies, like our own Milky Way, form? Using a new survey of the nearby cosmos, we will search for the signatures of galactic cannibalism, the disrupted bodies of smaller galaxies, and use this archaeology to piece together the formation history. We will also reveal the presence of local dark matter, whose action has shaped our own galaxy's formation.
Probing dark matter through the small scale structure of the universe. This project aims to discover clues to the nature of dark matter buried in small-scale structures. Although observational probes reliably constrain these systems, theoretical progress is hampered by difficulties disentangling the complex baryonic physics from the micro-physics of the dark matter particle in shaping the structure of low-mass galaxies. The project will tackle this problem using sophisticated numerical simulatio ....Probing dark matter through the small scale structure of the universe. This project aims to discover clues to the nature of dark matter buried in small-scale structures. Although observational probes reliably constrain these systems, theoretical progress is hampered by difficulties disentangling the complex baryonic physics from the micro-physics of the dark matter particle in shaping the structure of low-mass galaxies. The project will tackle this problem using sophisticated numerical simulations which separate these effects, allowing them to be isolated. The results are expected to show how low-mass galaxy formed, and to have important implications for modelling dark matter annihilation and for interpreting data from forthcoming surveys.Read moreRead less
Unveiling the haloes of Andromeda and the Milky Way. This project aims to understand galaxy formation and the astrophysical properties of dark matter. Continual merging with smaller systems powers the development of large galaxies. The ghostly remnants of these cannibalised satellites encode the build-up of mass in a galaxy and trace the underlying gravitational field. This project will use astronomical imaging technology to study ultra-faint stellar streams in the outskirts of our Milky Way and ....Unveiling the haloes of Andromeda and the Milky Way. This project aims to understand galaxy formation and the astrophysical properties of dark matter. Continual merging with smaller systems powers the development of large galaxies. The ghostly remnants of these cannibalised satellites encode the build-up of mass in a galaxy and trace the underlying gravitational field. This project will use astronomical imaging technology to study ultra-faint stellar streams in the outskirts of our Milky Way and its twin sister Andromeda, revealing their assembly histories and the precise properties of their dark matter haloes. These quantities are fundamental experimental benchmarks for testing modern cosmological models.Read moreRead less
Think Global, Act Local: Insights into the Evolution of Galaxies. The project aims to answer some of the most important questions in astrophysics about galaxy evolution. The evolution of galaxies is controlled by the competing effects of star formation and feedback. The rate at which a galaxy forms stars appears to be largely controlled by how quickly gas converts from diffuse atomic state to molecular, which is affected by the amount of metals in the gas and the strength of interstellar radiati ....Think Global, Act Local: Insights into the Evolution of Galaxies. The project aims to answer some of the most important questions in astrophysics about galaxy evolution. The evolution of galaxies is controlled by the competing effects of star formation and feedback. The rate at which a galaxy forms stars appears to be largely controlled by how quickly gas converts from diffuse atomic state to molecular, which is affected by the amount of metals in the gas and the strength of interstellar radiation fields. This project plans to probe the conversion of atomic to molecular gas within disparate environments. The project will use three local laboratories: our Milky Way, and the nearby Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, to understand the gas processes that lead to star formation and how these affect galaxy evolution throughout the Universe.Read moreRead less
The cosmic distribution of metals. This project aims to understand how the elements forged in stars flow through space and find their way into new stars and planets, using a combination of high-resolution numerical simulations and novel methods in machine learning. The history of these elements, and how they came to be in planets like ours, is one of the most basic questions remaining in astrophysics. The expected outcome is to provide a model for the history of the elements that can both stand ....The cosmic distribution of metals. This project aims to understand how the elements forged in stars flow through space and find their way into new stars and planets, using a combination of high-resolution numerical simulations and novel methods in machine learning. The history of these elements, and how they came to be in planets like ours, is one of the most basic questions remaining in astrophysics. The expected outcome is to provide a model for the history of the elements that can both stand on its own and provide a theoretical basis and a set of statistical tools to interpret the flood of data that will arrive from Australian and international telescopes over the next five years. The project will provide deeper insight into the history of the chemical elements that make up stars and our planet. It will also leverage Australia’s significant investment in observational excellence and hardware and enhance Australia’s leadership in astronomy.Read moreRead less
eXtending the GLEAM view of the Universe. This project will explore the entire radio sky visible to the future Square Kilometre Array ten times more deeply than before, fully characterising the life cycles of active galactic nuclei and finding previously-undetected supernova remnants in the Galactic Plane. The resulting survey will be used for a plethora of science, such as studies of galaxy clusters, cosmic ray tomography of the Milky Way, and measuring the magnetic fields of radio galaxy lobes ....eXtending the GLEAM view of the Universe. This project will explore the entire radio sky visible to the future Square Kilometre Array ten times more deeply than before, fully characterising the life cycles of active galactic nuclei and finding previously-undetected supernova remnants in the Galactic Plane. The resulting survey will be used for a plethora of science, such as studies of galaxy clusters, cosmic ray tomography of the Milky Way, and measuring the magnetic fields of radio galaxy lobes. It is a critical step toward the Square Kilometre Array.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the First Stars and Galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope. This project aims to find "First Light": the first stars and galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. Understanding the astrophysics of the first galaxies, their explosive growth, and how they set ablaze the remaining gas in the Universe have long been among the most important unsolved mysteries of astronomy. Decades in the making, the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021 marks a watershed moment. T ....Uncovering the First Stars and Galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope. This project aims to find "First Light": the first stars and galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. Understanding the astrophysics of the first galaxies, their explosive growth, and how they set ablaze the remaining gas in the Universe have long been among the most important unsolved mysteries of astronomy. Decades in the making, the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021 marks a watershed moment. This project uses privileged access to the revolutionary space telescope to find "First Light" and contribute to rewriting the first chapter of our cosmic history. The project is expected to significantly enhance Australia's international standing through leadership in use of the world's flagship scientific facility.Read moreRead less
The life-stories of galaxies from stellar fossils. This project aims to derive stellar ages and chemical compositions to draw the precise evolutionary history of the Galaxy, using ongoing observational programmes. Stars hold the key to unveil the events that occurred throughout the history of our Galaxy, from the beginning of time until today. Their atmospheres retain a fossil record of the composition of the interstellar medium at the time of their formation, and the twinkling of their light te ....The life-stories of galaxies from stellar fossils. This project aims to derive stellar ages and chemical compositions to draw the precise evolutionary history of the Galaxy, using ongoing observational programmes. Stars hold the key to unveil the events that occurred throughout the history of our Galaxy, from the beginning of time until today. Their atmospheres retain a fossil record of the composition of the interstellar medium at the time of their formation, and the twinkling of their light tells us about their ages. Combining data from space-borne satellites and large Australian ground-based surveys is expected to lead to understanding of galaxy formation as a whole.Read moreRead less
Explosive evidence: connecting stellar abundances to supernova progenitors. This project aims to determine the evolutionary scenarios of thermonuclear supernovae through numerical simulations. Supernova explosions create heavy elements, such as iron, that enable life on Earth, and are instrumental in proving that the Universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. For all their importance, the nature of their progenitors is still a mystery, which has implications for many fields of astrophysics. ....Explosive evidence: connecting stellar abundances to supernova progenitors. This project aims to determine the evolutionary scenarios of thermonuclear supernovae through numerical simulations. Supernova explosions create heavy elements, such as iron, that enable life on Earth, and are instrumental in proving that the Universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. For all their importance, the nature of their progenitors is still a mystery, which has implications for many fields of astrophysics. Through building inter-institutional and international collaborations, the project is expected to determine where, when, and how often these explosions occur. Benefits will include development of new technological methods and exploitation of Australian-led survey data from national facilities.Read moreRead less
Beyond appearance: revealing the physics of galaxy transformation. This project aims to reveal the physical origin of the large variety of galaxies in the universe by utilising multi-wavelength observations of nearby galaxies combined with advanced data analysis techniques and cutting-edge numerical simulations. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of astrophysics by providing a physically-motivated foundation to the subjective and qualitative taxonomic scheme generally used ....Beyond appearance: revealing the physics of galaxy transformation. This project aims to reveal the physical origin of the large variety of galaxies in the universe by utilising multi-wavelength observations of nearby galaxies combined with advanced data analysis techniques and cutting-edge numerical simulations. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of astrophysics by providing a physically-motivated foundation to the subjective and qualitative taxonomic scheme generally used to understand how galaxies, and ultimately stars and planets, formed and evolve. Read moreRead less