THE ARC CENTRE of excellence FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DISCOVERY
A new window of discovery.
A new age of gravitational wave astronomy.
A new age of gravitational wave astronomy.
One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein produced one of the greatest intellectual achievements in physics, the theory of general relativity. In general relativity, spacetime is dynamic. It can be warped into a black hole. Accelerating masses create ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves (GWs) that carry energy away from the source. Recent advances in detector sensitivity led to the first direct detection of gravitational waves in September 2015. This was a landmark achievement in human discovery and heralded the birth of the new field of gravitational wave astronomy.
The mission of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) is to capitalise on the historic first detections of gravitational waves to understand the extreme physics of black holes and warped spacetime, and to inspire the next generation of Australian scientists and engineers through this new window on the Universe.
OzGrav is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence funding scheme, and is a partnership between Swinburne University (host of OzGrav headquarters), the Australian National University, Monash University, University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, and University of Western Australia, along with other collaborating organisations in Australia and overseas.
The mission of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) is to capitalise on the historic first detections of gravitational waves to understand the extreme physics of black holes and warped spacetime, and to inspire the next generation of Australian scientists and engineers through this new window on the Universe.
OzGrav is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence funding scheme, and is a partnership between Swinburne University (host of OzGrav headquarters), the Australian National University, Monash University, University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, and University of Western Australia, along with other collaborating organisations in Australia and overseas.
INSTRUMENTATION
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DATA
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ASTROPHYSICS
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OzGrav scientists and engineers will be developing state of the art instrumentation for Advanced LIGO, the Square Kilometre Array and the next generation of gravitational wave detectors |
OzGrav researchers will be sifting through Petabytes of data to search for gravitational waves from black holes and neutron stars. |
OzGrav astrophysicists will use the gravitational waves detected by advanced LIGO and the SKA to probe the Universe in new and unique ways. |
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RECENT NEWS
11 January 2019: Tenure-track position in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics at the Australian National University.
The Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, is seeking to appoint an outstanding early or mid-career research academic in gravitational wave astrophysics. This will be a joint position between the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) and the Research School of Physics and Engineering (RSPE). This will be a tenure-track position that will attract a significant start-up package. The position will be open to female candidates only. The appointee will complement and engage with gravitational waves activities at RSPE and the optical follow-up of gravitational wave transients being carried out by the SkyMapper group and others at RSAA. At this time we are seeking Expressions of Interest (EoI) only. An EoI will comprise a one-page statement of track record and proposed program of research at ANU, along with a full CV. EoIs will be accepted any time up until February 18, 2019. For further information, please contact Professor Susan Scott (susan.scott@anu.edu.au), Professor David McClelland (david.mcclelland@anu.edu.au) at RSPE and/or Dr Chris Wolf (christian.wolf@anu.edu.au) at RSAA. 21 August 2018: OzGrav is delighted to be involved in a new art-science planetarium show that will have its world premier at the Melbourne International Arts Festival from October 6-13, 2018. Particle/Wave is directed by Alicia Sometimes, and includes narration by OzGravers Kendall Ackley, Lilli Sun, and Alan Duffy, along with video contributions from our own Mark Myers and Carl Knox.
12 April 2018: A new data mining technique developed by OzGrav scientists at Monash may let us detect the faint background hum of gravitational waves permeating the universe. The exciting result is described in The Age and ABC news, and on TV on the 7:30 Report. 
Artistic impression of the background hum of gravitational waves permeating the Universe. Credit: Carl Knox, ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav)
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA IN ASTRONOMY
Optical emission from a kilonova following a gravitational-wave-detected neutron-star merger 17 October 2017: OzGrav involved in the detection of ripples in spacetime from 2 neutron stars that collided 130 million years ago! GW170817 most observed astronomical event in human history, thanks to telescopes and observatories around the world searching for the aftermath of the fiery kilonova (merger of two neutrons stars). Read the Nature paper. More information in Swinburne University Press Release and in articles in The Conversation, Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO), and ABC News. |
