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Australian LSST Workshop 2021

Online , Australia

AAL was proud to host the 2021 Australian LSST Workshop, held online on Monday 13 Dec 2021 from noon-5pm AEDT (9am-2pm AWST).

Australian Science Lead for the Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), Prof. Sarah Brough, provided an update on our in-kind contributions and funding to secure LSST data access rights for 47 Australian PIs (and a further 188 Junior Associates). After that, we heard from presenters on recent work relating to the LSST or the various LSST Science Collaborations, and discussed how we can all help build a better LSST@Australia community for everybody.

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2022 Australian/eROSITA_DE Joint Collaboration Workshop

Online , Australia

  The 2nd Australian/eROSITA_DE Joint Collaboration Workshop will be hosted virtually from 21-23rd February 2022. At the end of 2022, the eROSITA (extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument onboard Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma satellite completed its fourth (out of eight) survey of the full sky at X-ray wavelengths. At the mission completion, eROSITA will have performed […]

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ACAMAR 8 Workshop

Online , Australia

This year marks the 50th year of Australia-China diplomatic relations and there will be an impressive line-up of invited speakers as well as plenty of opportunity for members of both the Australian and Chinese communities to present their latest research. The workshop will cover all areas of astronomical collaboration between Australian and China.

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ACAMAR Themed Workshop on VLBI: Towards a Sino-Australia high-sensitivity VLBI array

China and Australia are located in similar time zones, and an equatorial region of the sky can be simultaneously observed by telescopes in both countries. In addition, the combined array including the Chinese VLBI Network, the southern hemisphere Long Baseline Array (LBA), the Indian GMRT and the South African SKA can offer excellent uv-coverage for […]

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LSST Monthly Zoom Talks

Online , Australia

Professor Sarah Brough, Australian Science Lead for the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space & Time (LSST) hosts a monthly online session with 1-2 short talks from each of the Australian LSST PIs or a JA they sponsor, on their LSST engagement activities, i.e. science connected to LSST. These sessions are designed to build up […]

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2023 Australian/eROSITA_DE Joint Collaboration Workshop

Online , Australia

The 3rd Australian/eROSITA_DE Joint Collaboration Workshop will be hosted virtually from 23-24 March 2023. In 2021, the eROSITA (extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) instrument onboard Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma satellite completed its fourth (out of eight) survey of the full sky at X-ray wavelengths. The data obtained from these four surveys already surpass those from […]

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2023 ACAMAR Workshop: Cosmic Magnetism

The goal of this workshop is to foster collaboration and new scientific projects surrounding ongoing Cosmic Magnetism surveys. The format of the workshop will draw inspiration from the SKA Big Data Workshop (2019) and other Hackathons, with a focus on small group sessions to make real progress on new Cosmic Magnetism science.

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Astronomy and Gravitational Wave Commercialisation Workshop

Mount Stromlo Observatory Duffield Lecture theatre, Cotter Road, Weston Creek, ACT, Australia

AAL proudly presents a new series of semi-regular astronomy and gravitational wave commercialisation workshops. They will aim to bring researchers, industry and government together to find ways to increase the commercial benefit from technology and IP rich fields of research.

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2024 Australian/eROSITA-DE Joint Collaboration Workshop

The 4th Australian/eROSITA-DE Joint Collaboration Workshop will be held online from 25-27 March 2024. The primary aim of this online workshop is to bring together members of the Australian and German eROSITA/eROSITA-DE communities to discuss the progress of ongoing collaborative projects, as well as to foster ideas for new projects.

Two neutron stars interact and produce gravitational waves. Credit: OzGrav.

AAL is pleased to announce that it has funds to support an initial study into an Australian Gravitational Wave Observatory.

The work (to be completed over an 18-month period) will be funded through the Astronomy NCRIS program and OzGrav. AAL has a budget of up to $300k for an 18-month period to subcontract to the selected tenderer(s). OzGrav will contribute a further $100k.

This is an initial call to both institutions and individuals to gauge interest in participating in the study. You may respond to express your interest by emailing [email protected]. AAL intends to take the next step in the process (which may include a competitive process) in May.

Background

Australia has a long and deep involvement in developing the instrumentation that now forms part of an international network of gravitational-wave observatories. Australian scientists have also made significant contributions to the analysis of gravitational-wave data and to the electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational-wave events. This has allowed us to become partners in the LIGO Collaboration that built and operates the two LIGO observatories.

The discovery of gravitational waves was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics; Australia’s contributions were recognised explicitly with the 2020 Prime Minister’s Prize. The LIGO observatories have been joined by Virgo (Europe) and KAGRA (Japan) to form a global network of “second-generation” observatories. The OzGrav Centre of Excellence, founded in 2017 and re-funded in 2023) provides Australian government support for the field through to 2030.

The proposed third-generation observatories are Cosmic Explorer in the US, and the Einstein Telescope in Europe. In 2021, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) announced that the Einstein Telescope will be part of the 2021 upgraded ESFRI roadmap, and the US Decadal Plan for Astronomy recommended investment in Cosmic Explorer as a top priority. Both facilities are slated for operation in the latter half of the 2030s.

Gravitational-wave astronomy and the development of an Australian observatory has considerable alignment with national strategic goals, including:

  • precision measurement,
  • quantum metrology,
  • artificial intelligence and
  • data science.
The study

Expected deliverables may include:

  • Preliminary business and strategy case outlining the rationale for an Australian gravitational-wave observatory, including the beginnings of an investment and economic case, and identifying how Australian industry can be utilised and enhanced through the construction of the Project.
  • First pass options assessment report comparing technologies, designs, sites, risks, industry opportunities, and international partners, including a first pass at a cost-benefit analysis for each option and preliminary recommendations.
  • Document outlining scope for the next phase of the study, including required research and development, and first pass at a risk analysis and mitigation plans for the lifetime of the project. Document to include information for potential tenderers.
  • Proposed business structure for an ongoing Project Office.
  • List of skill sets and personnel required for the next phase of the scoping study and office.
  • Supporting materials for external stakeholders.
Responding to this call

Institutions – AAL member institutions may wish to indicate their interest in recruiting the personnel to conduct such a study, or perhaps wish to indicate that they already have the capability in place. Note: This is not intended to be a formal call, but rather an opportunity for AAL to gauge interest and whether a formal call will be required.

Individuals – Individuals who have considerable experience with billion-dollar scale research infrastructure projects may also contact AAL. While AAL does not intend to directly recruit someone to undertake this study, AAL is interested to gauge the options from qualified individuals. Note: We have not yet specified the position description for any role.

For further information or to express your interest in the project please email [email protected] by April 30th. James will then arrange a time to discuss these matters with you, and possibly other relevant stakeholders, if appropriate.