The morphological evolution of galaxies over cosmic time. Present-day galaxies look either red and round or blue and disc-like; this project will study galaxies that existed when the universe was one quarter its present age to understand how these different structures came about. To do this, the project will use a new high resolution near-infrared camera built at The Australian National University.
Formation of Supermassive Black Holes. One of the most remarkable discoveries in astronomy is the observation that supermassive black holes, weighing as much as a billion suns, are found in the centers of galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Astronomers do not understand how these black holes came to be, or their role in the evolution of galaxies. This Discovery Project will address these issues by analysing data on supermassive black holes from the local and early universes. Black holes fasci ....Formation of Supermassive Black Holes. One of the most remarkable discoveries in astronomy is the observation that supermassive black holes, weighing as much as a billion suns, are found in the centers of galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Astronomers do not understand how these black holes came to be, or their role in the evolution of galaxies. This Discovery Project will address these issues by analysing data on supermassive black holes from the local and early universes. Black holes fascinate students both young and old. This Discovery Project will train a new generation of young Australian astronomers at the leading edge of astrophysics.
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The High Time Resolution Radio Universe. The radio sky is blanketed by charged particles in the interstellar medium that smear impulsive emissions. By constructing a new digital electronic device for the giant Parkes radio telescope we will be able to divide the radio sky up into many thousands of radio "channels", which when searched on a supercomputer, will enable us to peer into the heart of our Galaxy in search of short bursts of emission. This will be the first large-scale search of the Uni ....The High Time Resolution Radio Universe. The radio sky is blanketed by charged particles in the interstellar medium that smear impulsive emissions. By constructing a new digital electronic device for the giant Parkes radio telescope we will be able to divide the radio sky up into many thousands of radio "channels", which when searched on a supercomputer, will enable us to peer into the heart of our Galaxy in search of short bursts of emission. This will be the first large-scale search of the Universe for short bursts of radio emission. The project will pioneer real-time processing of data on a remote supercomputer via a dedicated fibre link. Read moreRead less
Formation and Evolution in the Extragalactic Universe. Understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies, quasars and clusters of galaxies remains one of the key challenges in modern cosmology. We will bring together a wide range of skills to focus on specific aspects of this problem. Major topics we will consider include: how the gas and galaxies in clusters affect one another as they evolve; how quasars are formed and evolve; how ordinary matter and dark matter are distributed in galaxi ....Formation and Evolution in the Extragalactic Universe. Understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies, quasars and clusters of galaxies remains one of the key challenges in modern cosmology. We will bring together a wide range of skills to focus on specific aspects of this problem. Major topics we will consider include: how the gas and galaxies in clusters affect one another as they evolve; how quasars are formed and evolve; how ordinary matter and dark matter are distributed in galaxies and clusters; and finally, when galaxies were formed.Read moreRead less
Cosmological simulations of future radio surveys. Future radio telescopes such as the Square Kilometre Array will create
unprecedented surveys of the Universe. This Project is designed to
increase Australia's expertise in cosmological simulations and analysis,
crucial for performing science with these surveys. It will enable
Australia to influence the scientific design of the Square Kilometre
Array and stimulate the success of its pathfinder telescopes. The
Project will create several o ....Cosmological simulations of future radio surveys. Future radio telescopes such as the Square Kilometre Array will create
unprecedented surveys of the Universe. This Project is designed to
increase Australia's expertise in cosmological simulations and analysis,
crucial for performing science with these surveys. It will enable
Australia to influence the scientific design of the Square Kilometre
Array and stimulate the success of its pathfinder telescopes. The
Project will create several opportunities for PhD projects, producing
training in a broad range of scientific, technical and computational
skills. It will also produce exciting public outreach and
visualizations that will inspire public and media interest in science
and astronomy.Read moreRead less
Neutron Stars: Outflows and Inflows. A neutron star (NS) is an ultradense, ultramagnetised stellar corpse. I will study how the charged-particle wind of an isolated NS interacts with its environment, motivated by recent high-resolution imaging of supernova remnants. I will also study how accreting gas buries the magnetic field of a binary NS, motivated by the imminent commissioning of the first generation of interferometric gravitational wave telescopes. The work will greatly improve our underst ....Neutron Stars: Outflows and Inflows. A neutron star (NS) is an ultradense, ultramagnetised stellar corpse. I will study how the charged-particle wind of an isolated NS interacts with its environment, motivated by recent high-resolution imaging of supernova remnants. I will also study how accreting gas buries the magnetic field of a binary NS, motivated by the imminent commissioning of the first generation of interferometric gravitational wave telescopes. The work will greatly improve our understanding of NS electrodynamics, the Crab nebula, and the radio emission from millisecond pulsars, and makes a novel, quantifiable prediction of detectable levels of gravitational waves from X-ray millisecond pulsars.Read moreRead less
The Commonwealth Cosmology Initiative: From the First Objects to the Cosmic Web. The Commonwealth Cosmology Initiative (CCI) is an exciting development for Australian astronomy's gifted young High Performance Computational (HPC) Astrophysics community. The CCI links the efforts of Australia's next-generation of HPC and theoretical cosmologists with those of the leading scientists in the world. The CCI will provide unparalleled opportunities to Australia's postgraduate and Early Career Research ....The Commonwealth Cosmology Initiative: From the First Objects to the Cosmic Web. The Commonwealth Cosmology Initiative (CCI) is an exciting development for Australian astronomy's gifted young High Performance Computational (HPC) Astrophysics community. The CCI links the efforts of Australia's next-generation of HPC and theoretical cosmologists with those of the leading scientists in the world. The CCI will provide unparalleled opportunities to Australia's postgraduate and Early Career Researcher community to take part in a program of research designed to answer several of the fundamental mysteries of modern astronomy - the formation of galaxies, their relationship with Cosmic Web in which they are embedded, and the nature of dark matter.Read moreRead less
The origins of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars. The proposed research will help to strengthen the excellent reputation Australia has in the field of stellar physics. Many of the world's foremost observers work in Australia and it is vital that their observational work obtains the theoretical support that it deserves. This project will provide the evolution and nucleosynthesis information that will guide the interpretation of observational work and make predictions for future observations. The a ....The origins of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars. The proposed research will help to strengthen the excellent reputation Australia has in the field of stellar physics. Many of the world's foremost observers work in Australia and it is vital that their observational work obtains the theoretical support that it deserves. This project will provide the evolution and nucleosynthesis information that will guide the interpretation of observational work and make predictions for future observations. The applicant will also help it the training of graduate students, helping to provide expertise to the next generation of Australian astronomers.Read moreRead less
Galactic Archaeology: A Radial Velocity Experiment to Unveil the History of the Milky Way. The ambitious RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) will measure velocities and chemical properties of 50 million stars in the period 2006-2010 - 2000 times the number measured throughout history. RAVE will use a new-technology Australian fiber spectrometer at the Siding Spring UK Schmidt Telescope. A key demonstrator for RAVE is our proposed pilot survey using existing instruments to measure 100,000 stars - a ....Galactic Archaeology: A Radial Velocity Experiment to Unveil the History of the Milky Way. The ambitious RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) will measure velocities and chemical properties of 50 million stars in the period 2006-2010 - 2000 times the number measured throughout history. RAVE will use a new-technology Australian fiber spectrometer at the Siding Spring UK Schmidt Telescope. A key demonstrator for RAVE is our proposed pilot survey using existing instruments to measure 100,000 stars - already 20 times larger than any previous survey - providing unique chemical and kinematical fingerprints of our Galaxy's formation. This is critical for determining the optimum observing strategy, data management, and software pipeline, before embarking on the full survey in 2006.Read moreRead less
Gravitational Lensing Studies of Quasars. Australia's premier optical and near-IR telescopes are the 8-metre Gemini telescopes in Chile and Hawaii. We will use these superb facilties to study the structure of distant quasars. These images are enhanced by gravitational lensing, which acts as a 'natural telescope' to magnify the central region of the quasars. Our new techniques will develop our understanding of one of the most enigmatic objects in the universe. Several PhD students will be trai ....Gravitational Lensing Studies of Quasars. Australia's premier optical and near-IR telescopes are the 8-metre Gemini telescopes in Chile and Hawaii. We will use these superb facilties to study the structure of distant quasars. These images are enhanced by gravitational lensing, which acts as a 'natural telescope' to magnify the central region of the quasars. Our new techniques will develop our understanding of one of the most enigmatic objects in the universe. Several PhD students will be trained in both observational and theoretical astrophysics during the course of this DP.Read moreRead less