Looking beyond the limits of our Milky Way galaxy
Research projects in this area study individual distant galaxies to trace the very structure and evolution of the Universe.
Our researchers work on a range of projects, including surveys mapping tens to thousands of galaxies with:
- optical facilities (Hector, MAGPI, Hi-KIDS)
- radio facilities (ASKAP, WALLABY, EMU)
- using highly energetic transients to probe the material that lies around and between galaxies (eg FRBs).
Learn more about the projects we are undertaking, the researchers engaged in them, and who you can contact to get involved.
The impact of environment on galaxies as probed by the SAMI and Hector Galaxy surveys
Galaxy properties, such as morphology and rate of star-formation, correlate strongly with the environment in which a galaxy resides. An added complexity to this picture is that the densest regions in the Universe – rich galaxy clusters – are not static but are themselves evolving dynamically by hierarchical structure growth.
Understanding how this environment-driven transformation takes place is one of the fundamental challenges in modern astrophysics.
Various avenues for PhD projects supervised by Dr Matt Owers are available within this field, using data collected during the SAMI Galaxy Survey and preparing for the upcoming Hector Survey. Projects all involve the potential for collaboration with both Australian and international astronomers.
To get involved in this project, contact the: Matt Owers
Understanding galaxies near and far with MUSE
MUSE is a revolutionary instrument on the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT), which allows us to make detailed maps of the motions and chemistry of gas and stars in galaxies by applying state-of-the art modelling and analysis tools.
Projects in this area will make use of data from one of the following MUSE programs:
- MAGPI – mapping galaxies at a lookback time of four billion years ago
- MAUVE – mapping galaxies in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster to study environmental impacts
- GECKOS – mapping Milky Way-like galaxies to better understand our galactic cousins.
To get involved in this project, contact: Richard McDermid
Measuring galaxy star formation rates
The process of star formation in the Universe is intimately linked to the evolution of galaxies. To understand galaxy properties, researchers typically make assumptions about the distribution of masses in a newly formed population of stars, with the same assumption applying at all times and in all galaxies in the universe.
This 'universal' initial mass function (IMF) is poorly constrained observationally, and there are many results from the past two decades suggesting that the IMF is not universal, that is, it may differ between galaxies and at different epochs in cosmic history.
This project will look at refining the way that observations can be used to constrain measurements of the stellar IMF through development of so-called population synthesis tools, models linking stellar evolution with observational properties of galaxies, in order to identify new observational metrics that may be able to probe the shape and evolution of the IMF in different galaxy populations.
To get involved in this project, contact: Andrew Hopkins
From dust formation to star formation in galaxies
Dust absorbs light, particularly at UV and optical wavelengths. Dust corrections are crucial to derive the physical properties of galaxies and yet very few measurements are available at higher redshifts.
To determine dust properties of galaxies of different morphological types and at different distances, we have integral-field data available from SAMI and MAGPI surveys, and more data will be coming from the ongoing HECTOR survey.
The spatially resolved data combined with multi-band photometry will enable us to understand fundamental key questions about dust properties at larger distances.
To get involved in this project, contact: Tayyaba Zafar
Unveiling the connections between gas, stars and star-formation in nearby dwarf galaxies
Existing surveys using Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS) to provide a detailed view of how galaxies formed and evolved mainly target 'normal' galaxies, but dwarf galaxies tend to be under-represented. In addition, the systems observed are poorly resolved and lack spatially-resolved neutral hydrogen data.
Through the HI - KOALA IFS Dwarf galaxy Survey (Hi-KIDS), we are obtaining 2D optical spectra using the KOALA Integral Field Unit at the 3.9m AAT for nearby dwarf galaxies with available HI interferometric data.
This project will provide expertise with optical IFS and radio data, as well as with data science tools needed for astronomy.
To get involved in this project, contact: Angel Lopez-Sanchez
Searching for faint absorbing galaxies in emission
Quasars are very luminous and distant sources which reveal absorption lines from the intergalactic medium between the quasars and us. Although there is enough information available for these dense absorbers about their gas, metals, and dust from absorption studies, very little is known about their hosting galaxies.
With high spatial resolution instruments we are now able to detect these faint galaxies. The aim will be to use the existing European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope instruments to hunt well-defined cases.
Involvement with up-coming instruments like MAVIS is also a key opportunity to get involved with instrument science.
To get involved in this project, contact: Tayyaba Zafar