Correlations between Galaxy and Supernova Properties (Caitlin Adams)

The host galaxies of type Ia supernovae - Looking for correlations between galaxy and supernova properties, which may be important when using these supernovae as cosmological probes.

Potential Research Applications for the De-commissioned Honeysuckle Creek Antenna (Alvaro Bretones & Yicheng Guo)

In collaboration with CSIRO Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, the Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre is exploring the re-commissioning of Deep Space Station 46 (DSS46) – the 26 meter antenna which received the first pictures of man walking on the Moon. This project involved proposing future applications for DSS46 so that this currently unused antenna can be reutilized. Current and future educational and research topics in radio astronomy were reviewed to identify scientific endeavours that could be undertaken with the DSS46. In order to identify a comprehensive list of potential applications, its use as a single dish or as part of an array was considered. The identified applications include: working as an educational tool for high school and university students in Australia; monitoring space weather, solar wind and study variations in Earth’s ionosphere; searching for extra-terrestrial intelligence; astrometry, geodesy and general relativity studies. In addition, the applications were evaluated against cost, adoptability and effectiveness and results were given separately from the perspective of education and research. The findings point out achievable existing and future potentialities for this facility to replay its historic role in radio astronomy.

Serving Australia from Space Short Course Group 1: Exploring Australia’s Short, Medium and Long Term Needs (Andrew Ridden-Harper, Courtney Bright, Darrell Jackson, Luke Melmoth, Nick Krammer)

In collaboration with CSIRO Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, the Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre is exploring the re-commissioning of Deep Space Station 46 (DSS46) – the 26 meter antenna which received the first pictures of man walking on the Moon. This project involved proposing future applications for DSS46 so that this currently unused antenna can be reutilized. Current and future educational and research topics in radio astronomy were reviewed to identify scientific endeavours that could be undertaken with the DSS46. In order to identify a comprehensive list of potential applications, its use as a single dish or as part of an array was considered. The identified applications include: working as an educational tool for high school and university students in Australia; monitoring space weather, solar wind and study variations in Earth’s ionosphere; searching for extra-terrestrial intelligence; astrometry, geodesy and general relativity studies. In addition, the applications were evaluated against cost, adoptability and effectiveness and results were given separately from the perspective of education and research. The findings point out achievable existing and future potentialities for this facility to replay its historic role in radio astronomy.

Stellar Convection (Tony Le)

Using hydrodynamical models to try to understand the physics of convection in stars, which is important because it can affect the properties astronomers measure.

Astronomy Missions for CubeSats (Scott Dorrington & Andrew Welch)

CubeSats are a small-satellite platform, capable of being developed, constructed and launched into low Earth orbit for relatively low cost. A 1 unit (1U) CubeSat is a cube structure measuring 10x10x10cm and having a mass of no more than 1.33kg. By combining multiple units, larger CubeSat configurations of 2U, 3U and 6U may also be constructed. The reduced launch cost of CubeSats has made access to space available to small companies and universities to conduct experiments with various payloads. With over 80 launches in 2013 alone, CubeSats are an exciting new area of development in space technology being used for atmospheric research, earth observation, technology demonstration, and education outreach. While there are currently no dedicated astronomy CubeSats, the opportunities of astronomy missions on CubeSats are of great interest, with several planned missions under development. With the new fabrication, assembly, and testing capabilities of the AITC and world-leading research conducted at the RSAA there is an opportunity for CubeSats to be utilised in novel space based astronomy research by Australian universities. A survey has been conducted to review the research areas of the RSAA, and the advantages of space based astronomy. Several research areas have been identified that would benefit from an astronomy mission. Of these, detecting transiting exoplanets with a small wide angle telescope was selected as the best candidate for a CubeSat mission. In order to achieve this mission, preliminary mission requirements were identified including photometric performance and pointing accuracy of the telescope. The CubeSat specifications place design restrictions on the telescope including maximum aperture size, length and mass. These requirements and restrictions will be used in for future detailed mission and instrument design. The opportunities presented by an astronomy CubeSat platform would benefit the world-class exoplanet research conducted at Australian universities as well as contribute to the growing Australian space industry.

Searching for Asteroids Using HAT-South (Thomas Reichardt)

Using data from the HAT-South survey (designed to search for exoplanets) to identify asteroids in the solar system and measure their rotation rates.

Adaptive Optics (Samantha Ockerby, David McManus & Montiel Abello)

Earth's atmosphere is turbulent, creating large and dynamically changing disturbances in light received by ground based telescopes, significantly reducing the resolution of astronomical observations. In order to counteract this, telescopes are implementing Adaptive Optics systems which measure and correct these disturbances, creating sharper and more accurate images. The new generation of extremely large telescopes will require more complex Adaptive Optics technologies with better performance under all conditions. This presentation will begin with a description of the general approach used in the end-to-end and Monte Carlo simulations of Adaptive Optics systems. Two widely used tools, Yao and Arroyo are reviewed to identify attributes and possible expansions that would improve the Fortran 95 Simulation Library which is currently being developed. This will provide a unique insight into the use of a large simulation library from the perspective of an entry level user, aiding programmers to design software better suited for widespread use. The second section will look at using simulations and analysis methods to optimise and improve performance of individual components in an Adaptive Optics system. Using simulations of a system, tools were developed and refined to accurately show and compare the different characteristics of controlled components. These methods were tested on the characteristics of error correction in the tip/tilt modes of the wavefront. These methods are then used to analyse the performance of two different aspects of a real system, a phase sheet mimicking atmospheric conditions and the camera speed. The third section will address one of the difficulties in implementing an Adaptive Optics system on a large telescope with a segmented primary mirror: ensuring that the light reflected off each mirror segment is in phase. Fibre couplers can be used to measure the relative phase between two sources of light, allowing for corrections to be made to the positioning of the segments. The first prototyping stage for this technique involves using an optical interferometer to test the accuracy of the fibre couplers when measuring the relative phase of two light inputs.

Future History of the Sun (Alex Wallace)

Using numerical models to explore the future evolution of the sun and its potential effects on the Earth.

Evaluation