ANNUAL REPORT 2016 CAASTRO acknowledges the support of the Australian Research Council and of NSW Trade and Investment. We also acknowledge the financial and in-kind support provided by our participating organisations: The University of Sydney, The University of Western Australia, The University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, The Australian National University, Curtin University and The University of Queensland. © CAASTRO 2016. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, reproduction of any part by any process without prior written permission from the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics is not permitted. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights can be made by contacting Ms Kate Gunn, Chief Operating Officer (University of Sydney). www.caastro.org Design by Go Media Design CAASTRO 1 ANNUAL REPORT 2016 CONTENTS Introduction from the Chair 2 Vision & Mission Statement 4 Director’s Report 6 Research Programs 8 Case Studies 23 Activity Plan 2017 34 2016 Publications 37 Student Life 48 CAASTRO Governance 54 CAASTRO Membership 56 Awards & Honours 58 Gender Action Committee 60 Presentations 61 Invited Talks 2016 62 Workshops 78 Education & Outreach 84 CAASTRO Locations 88 CAASTRO Collaborations 128 KPI Dashboard 130 Financial Statements 131 Grants won by CAASTRO members in 2016 133 CAASTRO People 134 2 INTRODUCTION FROM THE CHAIR PROFESSOR ROBERT WILLIAMSON AO FRS FAA CHAIR, CAASTRO ADVISORY BOARD CAASTRO 3 ANNUAL REPORT 2016 First impressions count for a lot, and my first impression amazing impact that machine-learning techniques are when I started as Chair of the CAASTRO Advisory starting to have in astronomy (page 28). Board – an impression that has been totally validated We scientists, particularly astronomers, will see over the past six months – is that CAASTRO is a very CAASTRO’s success in terms of solid advances well run and effective Centre of Excellence. All too reported in the literature and acknowledged by often academics come up with great ideas but don’t professional awards and advancement. The general have the skills to follow through and implement them. community judges us more broadly: its view will be When you are asked to Chair an Advisory Board, this is shaped not only by the latest discoveries about the always a worry, but a worry that in this case was totally mass of neutrinos or the shenanigans of black holes, unfounded. Elaine Sadler, our Director, with Kate Gunn but also by our other contributions. As a ‘new chum’, and her team, make sure that CAASTRO’s objectives are I’ve been impressed with CAASTRO’s efforts to bring always clearly in view, and effectively pursued. astrophysics to the community by taking the subject The proof of this is that, in the current ARC grant round to schools, to planetaria, and even at Uluru at the for new Centres of Excellence, CAASTRO has spawned heart of ‘country’. not one child but two! Perhaps we might think of them To the extent that we have an informed community as a son and a daughter, forming the sort of dynasty that understands the connections between space, our that we see in science as well as in industry, medicine, planetary system, our Earth and our environment, we politics and law. Perhaps the most important legacy that will also have succeeded in giving people the tools to any scientific enterprise can leave, with pride, is a legacy understand satellites, global warming and the ways of great people trained in a solid tradition of adventurous minerals are distributed around the globe. scientific enquiry. We hope that the coming successes of CAASTRO-3D and OzGrav led by Professors Lisa Kewley Finally, I want to offer some ‘thank you’ bouquets to (Australian National University) and Matthew Bailes key people in CAASTRO. First to my predecessor, Alan (Swinburne University) will also be seen as a credit to Finkel, now occupying an extremely important role as Elaine, Kate, and everyone else who has contributed to Chief Scientist to the Australian Government. Alan CAASTRO over the past seven years. was a far more appropriate Chair of the CAASTRO Advisory Board than me; I am constantly aware of what CAASTRO members continue to do excellent work a polymath he is, and the extent to which this serves across a wide range of areas. This year saw the him well in his new role. Thanks go the Elaine Sadler and publication of a catalogue of 300,000 sources from her colleagues in the senior scientific team, who charted the Murchison Widefield Array’s GLEAM (GaLactic and the course of CAASTRO for the past seven years, Extragalactic All-sky MWA) survey. Many researchers leading to a clutch of scientific advances that have are now excavating this mine of goodies and starting to been part of the transformation of astrophysics over produce papers from it (page 11). Results also continue the past decade. It was their efforts that set the scene to appear from the productive SAMI Galaxy Survey: on for the funding of CAASTRO-3D and OzGrav. Finally, page 10 of this report we feature work by CAASTRO in addition to vision, a Centre of Excellence also needs PhD student Adam Schaefer (University of Sydney). work! That work has been provided by Kate Gunn and Many CAASTRO researchers have been working on the her team, who have the rare distinction of being friendly enigmatic fast radio bursts (FRBs). and approachable while, at the same time, running an Our PhD student Manisha Caleb (ANU) made her mark efficient and accountable ‘tight ship’. in the field this year by being the first to detect an FRB In 2017, CAASTRO’s final full year, the Advisory Board, with an interferometer, thus establishing definitively that the scientific leadership and the administration will all they originate at celestial distances (page 14). When devote attention to ensuring that we leave a clear and CAASTRO was first mooted the Dynamic radio sky was vibrant legacy, passing on many of our best ideas and a prime science target, and CAASTRO has played a programs to the two new astronomy Centres and to pivotal role in the development of this nascent field. In the astronomy and astrophysics communities more 2016 CAASTRO published papers in both Science (Ravi generally, and ensuring that the rest of the excellence et al.) and Nature (Keane et al.) on the topic. Both of we have fostered continues to flourish in future. these lead authors were former CAASTRO postdocs who still collaborate with CAASTRO. And an outstanding project by a CAASTRO Honours student, Daniel Muthukrishna (University of Queensland), showed the 4 VISION &MISSION STATEMENT Light at the end of the road Credit: Josh Calcino CAASTRO 5 ANNUAL REPORT 2016 The CAASTRO Vision The CAASTRO Mission CAASTRO aims to be an CAASTRO is carrying out key science with 21st century telescopes. international leader in widefield Our goals are: astronomy, positioning Australia DISCOVER To make groundbreaking advances in our understanding of to address fundamental the Universe, thereby cementing Australia’s reputation as a world leader in unsolved questions about the astrophysical research; Universe with the dramatic capabilities of next-generation INNOVATE To develop innovative new ways of surveying the entire sky, telescopes and advanced processing enormous volumes of astronomical measurements, and visualising instrumentation. complex datasets, so as to build unique expertise in widefield radio and optical MISSION astronomy; PERFORM To make high-impact discoveries using Square Kilometre Array pathfinder telescopes, thus positioning Australia to lead the science programs planned for the SKA; EDUCATE To provide compelling new opportunities for students and early- career researchers and exciting stories to inform the public; and UNITE To bring the top astronomers from Australia and around the world together into a focused collaborative environment. About CAASTRO Astronomy has entered a golden age, in which we seek underpinned by a strong focus on training and enabling to understand the complete evolution of the Universe the next generation of scientists, thus providing a and its constituents. But the key unsolved questions in legacy extending well beyond the Centre’s lifetime. astronomy demand entirely new approaches, requiring The students we mentor and inspire will lead the enormous datasets covering the entire sky. scientific discoveries made on future widefield facilities, In recent years, Australia has invested more than culminating in the ultimate all-sky telescope, the Square $420 million both in innovative widefield telescopes Kilometre Array. CAASTRO is further motivated by the and in the powerful computers needed to process belief that science is a passionate undertaking and this the resulting torrents of data. Using these new tools, passion should be contagious. We aim to leverage the Australia now has established itself at the vanguard of high impact of our discoveries and the strong public the upcoming information revolution centred on all-sky interest they generate to highlight Australian innovation astrophysics. to the general public, and to inspire students to The ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics consider careers in science and engineering. (CAASTRO) has assembled the world-class team who now lead the flagship scientific experiments CAASTRO is receiving more than $30 million in funding on these new widefield facilities. CAASTRO is over the period 2011–2018. CAASTRO is led by The delivering transformational new science by bringing University of Sydney, in conjunction with The University together unique expertise in radio astronomy, optical of Western Australia, The University of Melbourne, astronomy, theoretical astrophysics and computation, Swinburne University of Technology, The Australian and by coupling all these capabilities to the powerful National University, Curtin University and The University technology in which Australia has recently invested. of Queensland, complemented by a group of world-class CAASTRO is pursuing three interlinked scientific Australian and international partners.