Uncovering the Fossil Record of Galaxy Formation. Our 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 allow us to maintain Australian leadership in this new area of astrophysics research, whilst using leading international facilities.
Galactic Cannibalism: The link between dwarf galaxies and globular star clusters. The formation of bright globular star clusters in giant galaxies like our own Milky Way remains an unsolved problem in astrophysics. Galactic cannibalism is the theory that they formed by the disruption of dwarf galaxies that came too close to the gravitational field of giant galaxies. We will use the new Gemini Telescopes to test this theory with sensitive comparisons of the properties of globular clusters, dwarf ....Galactic Cannibalism: The link between dwarf galaxies and globular star clusters. The formation of bright globular star clusters in giant galaxies like our own Milky Way remains an unsolved problem in astrophysics. Galactic cannibalism is the theory that they formed by the disruption of dwarf galaxies that came too close to the gravitational field of giant galaxies. We will use the new Gemini Telescopes to test this theory with sensitive comparisons of the properties of globular clusters, dwarf galaxies and our newly-discovered ultra-compact dwarf galaxies which may be the missing link in this process.Read moreRead less
Exploring the smallest exoplanets in the southern hemisphere with Veloce. This project aims to determine how common rocky terrestrial planets are amongst the stars near our Sun, and to discover potentially habitable planets which will be prime targets for space-based searches for biological signatures for decades to come. It will engage with NASA's next-generation planet discovery mission (TESS) which launches in 2017, and use Australian investments in astronomical infrastructure (the Veloce fac ....Exploring the smallest exoplanets in the southern hemisphere with Veloce. This project aims to determine how common rocky terrestrial planets are amongst the stars near our Sun, and to discover potentially habitable planets which will be prime targets for space-based searches for biological signatures for decades to come. It will engage with NASA's next-generation planet discovery mission (TESS) which launches in 2017, and use Australian investments in astronomical infrastructure (the Veloce facility) to measure the masses and densities of planets that TESS discovers. The project will answer fundamental and existential questions for humanity – "Is our Earth a uniquely habitable environment in the Universe? Are we alone?"Read moreRead less
How typical is our Local Galaxy Group? This project will uncover how unusual the Local Group is by comparing the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy (known as M31) halos to similar mass systems in the local Universe. By using well understood galaxy groups created as part of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly project (GAMA), the study will be able to uncover the mass distribution of galaxies found in different mass groups. It will go further than any previous work by combining these robust groups with faint ....How typical is our Local Galaxy Group? This project will uncover how unusual the Local Group is by comparing the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy (known as M31) halos to similar mass systems in the local Universe. By using well understood galaxy groups created as part of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly project (GAMA), the study will be able to uncover the mass distribution of galaxies found in different mass groups. It will go further than any previous work by combining these robust groups with fainter imaging data. The combination of both datasets will allow the determination of whether the Local Group is typical or unusual. Putting the Local Group into a cosmological context is vital since many future Galactic archaeology surveys assume that it is typical, and can meaningfully inform us about the wider universe.Read moreRead less
Utilising artificial intelligence to elucidate the physics of galaxies. For decades astronomers have puzzled over the connection between the structure and evolution of galaxies and the role played by host environments. This project aims to resolve this problem by combining multi-wavelength observations, multi-component simulations, and pioneering data analysis using artificial intelligence. In particular, we target the nearby Fornax galaxy cluster as a laboratory for studying galaxy formation in ....Utilising artificial intelligence to elucidate the physics of galaxies. For decades astronomers have puzzled over the connection between the structure and evolution of galaxies and the role played by host environments. This project aims to resolve this problem by combining multi-wavelength observations, multi-component simulations, and pioneering data analysis using artificial intelligence. In particular, we target the nearby Fornax galaxy cluster as a laboratory for studying galaxy formation in dense environments. Using our novel machine learning techniques, we will elucidate the physical mechanisms that drive the rapid evolution of star formation, galactic nuclei, and gas and dust content within Fornax. Our predictions will benefit ongoing and future surveys at the national and international level. Read moreRead less
Understanding the dynamics of the dark universe. This project aims to test theories of dark matter and dark energy with the ultimate goal of understanding the properties of the dark components of the universe and how those properties can be explained by new fundamental physics. The project will use two astronomical datasets, the Dark Energy Survey, with measurements of approximately 3000 supernovae, and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, with measurements of 30 million galaxies. By compar ....Understanding the dynamics of the dark universe. This project aims to test theories of dark matter and dark energy with the ultimate goal of understanding the properties of the dark components of the universe and how those properties can be explained by new fundamental physics. The project will use two astronomical datasets, the Dark Energy Survey, with measurements of approximately 3000 supernovae, and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, with measurements of 30 million galaxies. By comparing theoretical models to this combination of data the project will help to determine whether dark energy changes with time, measure detailed clustering properties of dark matter, and test advanced theories of gravity.Read moreRead less
Weighing Black Holes with The Australian Dark Energy Survey. This project plans to measure how supermassive black holes have evolved over the last 12 billion years. Direct measurements of central black hole masses only exist for about 40 relatively nearby galaxies. The unique time-lapse observations and five-year baseline of the Australian Dark Energy Survey will enable us to measure masses for about 400 black holes, an order of magnitude more than previously possible. In addition to weighing bl ....Weighing Black Holes with The Australian Dark Energy Survey. This project plans to measure how supermassive black holes have evolved over the last 12 billion years. Direct measurements of central black hole masses only exist for about 40 relatively nearby galaxies. The unique time-lapse observations and five-year baseline of the Australian Dark Energy Survey will enable us to measure masses for about 400 black holes, an order of magnitude more than previously possible. In addition to weighing black holes, recent results show that with precision measurement these systems may provide a standard candle, a new fundamental yardstick for cosmology. Unlike supernova observations that discovered dark energy, our measurements are practical to distances stretching back across 90 per cent of the observable universe.Read moreRead less
The major transformation mechanism of disk galaxies. This project aims to discover how lenticular (S0) galaxies formed, which has been a problem since they were first introduced as a possible transition between elliptical and spiral galaxies over 80 years ago. This project will compare observations at various wavelengths and high-resolution computer simulations. It also aims to advance physical understanding of star formation, gas and dust evolution, and morphological transformation driven by en ....The major transformation mechanism of disk galaxies. This project aims to discover how lenticular (S0) galaxies formed, which has been a problem since they were first introduced as a possible transition between elliptical and spiral galaxies over 80 years ago. This project will compare observations at various wavelengths and high-resolution computer simulations. It also aims to advance physical understanding of star formation, gas and dust evolution, and morphological transformation driven by environments. The expected benefit is to solve the problem of S0 formation and provide models to interpret the large volumes of data generated by Australian surveys.Read moreRead less
Light from darkness: understanding extrasolar planets from their shadows. This project aims to determine the detailed properties of "sub-Saturn" planets. Theories of planet formation are heavily biased toward explaining our Solar System, which is not representative of the general population of planetary systems in our Galaxy. The vast majority of other planetary systems feature “warm sub-Saturns”: planets of ~10-100 Earth masses orbiting close to their host star. Due to a shortage of well-charac ....Light from darkness: understanding extrasolar planets from their shadows. This project aims to determine the detailed properties of "sub-Saturn" planets. Theories of planet formation are heavily biased toward explaining our Solar System, which is not representative of the general population of planetary systems in our Galaxy. The vast majority of other planetary systems feature “warm sub-Saturns”: planets of ~10-100 Earth masses orbiting close to their host star. Due to a shortage of well-characterised sub-Saturns, little is known about their composition and detailed properties. This project aims to advance our understanding of planet formation via intensive, dedicated ground-based characterisation of these new planets.Read moreRead less
Catch me if you can: The race to rescue the smallest planets. This project will upgrade a unique Australian observatory to study the smallest planets around other stars, using an innovative new technique to provide high precision measurements capturing the tiny shadow of planets as they cross in front of their stars. The project aims to generate new knowledge on potentially Earth-like planets and contribute to the legacy of current and next-generation space telescopes. Expected outcomes include ....Catch me if you can: The race to rescue the smallest planets. This project will upgrade a unique Australian observatory to study the smallest planets around other stars, using an innovative new technique to provide high precision measurements capturing the tiny shadow of planets as they cross in front of their stars. The project aims to generate new knowledge on potentially Earth-like planets and contribute to the legacy of current and next-generation space telescopes. Expected outcomes include preserving a list of best planets for in-depth characterisations, and the first Australian facility to match the capability of space observatories: detecting planets as small as Earth. This project will benefit the international community by optimising the effort of future space telescopes.Read moreRead less