Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100087
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$760,000.00
Summary
Veloce - Australia's Next-Generation Planet Foundry. Veloce - Australia's next-generation planet foundry: This project will deliver to Australian astronomers a high-resolution, ultra-stabilised, red-wavelength-optimised spectrograph capable of delivering high-precision doppler velocities for the transiting exoplanet host-stars being discovered now by southern hemisphere transit-planet searches, and for the coming wave of discoveries to be made by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TES ....Veloce - Australia's Next-Generation Planet Foundry. Veloce - Australia's next-generation planet foundry: This project will deliver to Australian astronomers a high-resolution, ultra-stabilised, red-wavelength-optimised spectrograph capable of delivering high-precision doppler velocities for the transiting exoplanet host-stars being discovered now by southern hemisphere transit-planet searches, and for the coming wave of discoveries to be made by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). In addition it will enable a vast suite of new research programs in exoplanetary science and galactic archaeology, as well as providing a sound base of ultra-stable infrastructure enabling future expansion to cover the full optical wavelength range at minimal cost.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100052
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
TAIPAN - a spectrograph to survey the southern sky. TAIPAN - a spectrograph to survey the southern sky: The TAIPAN spectroscopic survey of the southern sky aims to quadruple the number of nearby galaxies with measured redshifts, distances and velocities. Science goals include measuring the expansion rate of the universe to 1 per cent precision, and combining optical spectroscopy and radio data for each galaxy to measure the rate at which gas is being converted into stars in the local universe. T ....TAIPAN - a spectrograph to survey the southern sky. TAIPAN - a spectrograph to survey the southern sky: The TAIPAN spectroscopic survey of the southern sky aims to quadruple the number of nearby galaxies with measured redshifts, distances and velocities. Science goals include measuring the expansion rate of the universe to 1 per cent precision, and combining optical spectroscopy and radio data for each galaxy to measure the rate at which gas is being converted into stars in the local universe. This project supports construction of the TAIPAN high-performance spectrograph that will be used to carry out the survey on the UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST). The results of the survey will be made freely available to all Australian astronomers.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$740,000.00
Summary
Mapping the universe with the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS). This project plans to build a powerful new observatory, Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS-2), to be located in Hawaii. PanSTARRS-2 will have an enormous fish-eye-lens view of the northern stars, which we will combine with Australian telescopes to give a unique view of the entire sky. Australian scientists will use this data to solve fundamental problems in astrophysics an ....Mapping the universe with the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS). This project plans to build a powerful new observatory, Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS-2), to be located in Hawaii. PanSTARRS-2 will have an enormous fish-eye-lens view of the northern stars, which we will combine with Australian telescopes to give a unique view of the entire sky. Australian scientists will use this data to solve fundamental problems in astrophysics and cosmology.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100024
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$760,000.00
Summary
Kunlun Infrared Sky Survey. Kunlun Infrared Sky Survey (KISS): KISS is the first exploration of the time varying Universe in the infrared. The location at Kunlun station offers the advantage of the whole sky being available for study for the duration of the Antarctic winter every year. The primary scientific targets are the physics of active galactic nuclei, supersupernovae (Gamma Ray Bursters), the terminal phases of red giants (Miras) and initial phases of protostars. The project also aims to ....Kunlun Infrared Sky Survey. Kunlun Infrared Sky Survey (KISS): KISS is the first exploration of the time varying Universe in the infrared. The location at Kunlun station offers the advantage of the whole sky being available for study for the duration of the Antarctic winter every year. The primary scientific targets are the physics of active galactic nuclei, supersupernovae (Gamma Ray Bursters), the terminal phases of red giants (Miras) and initial phases of protostars. The project also aims to find exoplanets and to measure the cosmic infrared background and its angular fluctuations using the low background advantage of the Antarctic. KISS is complementary to SkyMapper in that it is infrared, and complementary to 2MASS in that it is time sensitive.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100012
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,000.00
Summary
Exploring the Dynamic Universe with DREAMS. DREAMS is a revolutionary wide-field infrared surveyor designed to allow astronomers to unlock new science and foster international collaborations focused on important but elusive, infrared transient cosmic phenomena. Continually scanning the southern sky, DREAMS will provide “real time” data that will transform the depth and quality of astronomical observation. Combining off-the-shelf parts with scientific expertise from around the world, this telesco ....Exploring the Dynamic Universe with DREAMS. DREAMS is a revolutionary wide-field infrared surveyor designed to allow astronomers to unlock new science and foster international collaborations focused on important but elusive, infrared transient cosmic phenomena. Continually scanning the southern sky, DREAMS will provide “real time” data that will transform the depth and quality of astronomical observation. Combining off-the-shelf parts with scientific expertise from around the world, this telescope will help answer questions that are both practical and profound. DREAMS is an important component of a longer-term international strategy that will reinforce Australia’s global leadership in the realm of Infrared Transient Astronomy.Read moreRead less
Space Science and Astronomy: Dissecting the Galaxy with High Resolution Multi-Object Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES) II: Decisive Observations. Australia has long been a world leader in wide-field astronomical surveys, and the new High Resolution Multi-Object Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES) being built for the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) will enhance that leadership position. Through a combination of Australian technological and scientific advances, the surveys we conduct with HERMES will allow ....Space Science and Astronomy: Dissecting the Galaxy with High Resolution Multi-Object Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES) II: Decisive Observations. Australia has long been a world leader in wide-field astronomical surveys, and the new High Resolution Multi-Object Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES) being built for the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) will enhance that leadership position. Through a combination of Australian technological and scientific advances, the surveys we conduct with HERMES will allow us to study galaxy formation and stellar astrophysics in unprecedented detail. There are powerful synergies between HERMES and Skymapper, another Australian astronomical survey, as well as with Gaia, the billion-dollar European space mission for studying the Galaxy; HERMES will thus promote both national and international research collaboration. In this proposal we lay the observational groundwork for maximising the scientific return from HERMES.Read moreRead less
Directly Imaging Exoplanet Birth. Exoplanet research has now entered a new era. Radial velocity and transit techniques have shown that planetary systems are extremely varied and complex, with the secrets to their taxonomy buried at the earliest epochs of planetary system evolution. This project will directly image these earliest stages of planetary formation through innovative algorithms that make best use of the largest infrared telescopes in the world, utilising their full diffraction limit. R ....Directly Imaging Exoplanet Birth. Exoplanet research has now entered a new era. Radial velocity and transit techniques have shown that planetary systems are extremely varied and complex, with the secrets to their taxonomy buried at the earliest epochs of planetary system evolution. This project will directly image these earliest stages of planetary formation through innovative algorithms that make best use of the largest infrared telescopes in the world, utilising their full diffraction limit. Resulting images will be combined with advanced collaborative modelling and the use of the latest Australian spectroscopic surveys and instrumentation, in order to unravel the secrets of planetary birth.Read moreRead less
Galactic archaeology: a radial velocity experiment to unveil the history of the Milky Way. The goal of the international RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) survey is to measure velocities and chemical properties of 500,000 stars, using the Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring Observatory; the survey was conceived by Australians and involves astronomers from 10 countries. This is the basic information that we need to understand how the Milky Way formed and evolved.
A survey of the interstellar medium in the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. Between the stars in the Milky Way there are clouds of gas and dust; old stars eject heavy elements into this interstellar medium, and new stars form when interstellar clouds collapse under their own gravity. This survey is making maps of the interstellar gas using spectral lines at radio wavelengths to trace the cycle of star formation.