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OzGrav at Swinburne makes waves with $35m to understand the universe
The Australian Research Council has awarded the Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) at Swinburne $35 million in funding.
Swinburne University has been awarded a further $35 million in funding to continue their ground-breaking discoveries at the cutting edge of human understanding.
This new funding will support OzGrav’s work investigating the fundamental nature of relativistic gravity, ultra-dense matter and the universe, generating critical discoveries to cement Australia’s leadership role in the growing field of gravitational wave science.
"The funding will not only allow OzGrav make to landmark discoveries about the nature of our universe, but also lay the foundations for the Australian mega-science instruments that could transform physics in the 2030s and 2040s."
"By improving our advanced gravitational wave detectors, we will be able to understand more about our universe, probing neutron stars and black holes and mapping the cosmic evolution of the universe.”
said Professor Matthew Bailes, Centre Director.
Turning Einstein’s imagination into reality
The study of gravitational waves theorized by Einstein in 1915 has animated, for almost 100 years, the thirst of scientists and physicists in this phenomenon. Since then, OzGrav researchers have been at the forefront of gravitational wave discovery, making significant discoveries to help understand the extreme physics of black holes and warped spacetime.
"As a technology-focused university with deep expertise in astronomy, physics and space research, Swinburne is proud to continue to be the home of this global collaboration.”
Said Professor Karen Hapgood, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research.
Next-generation discoveries
Four benefits will come from the new funding to maximise the sensitivity and yield of gravitational wave detectors, supressing quantum noise and reducing coating losses:
- The discovery of new sources of gravitational waves and extreme electromagnetic events.
- Testing the boundaries or Einstein’s theory of general relativity in the strongest gravitational fields in the universe, using black holes and pulsars.
- Understanding ultra-dense matter through the observation of neutron stars and their mergers.
- Mapping the cosmic evolution of the universe using gravitational waves and fast radio bursts.
Source: Swinburne University
