Research at MoCA is focussed in several groups as well as a range of individual research interests. The main research groups are listed below. Information about particular research topics can be found by following the links.
Star and planet formation | Dynamics Research | ||
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The star and planet formation group uses fluid dynamics simulations, radiative transfer and telescopes around the world to understand how stars and planets form. | ![]() |
The dynamics group studies small-N systems, in particular extrasolar planetary systems including the effects of moons, tides, spin-orbit coupling and relativity, and the dynamics of small-N systems in dense stellar systems. Three-body stability is central to much of our work. |
Galaxy Evolution | Gravitational Waves | ||
The Galaxy Evolution Group studies how galaxies change and evolve over cosmic time. | ![]() |
The Gravitational Wave group is involved in all forms of gravitational-wave research across all wavebands. This includes astrophysics, instrumentation and data analysis for the LIGO detectors that recently announced the first, direct detection of gravitational waves. | |
High Energy Astrophysics | SINS: Stellar Interiors and NucleoSynthesis | ||
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High Energy Astrophysics involves understanding some of the most violent objects in the universe, such as supernovae and the neutron stars they leave behind. | ![]() |
The SINs Group studies the structure and interior evolution of stars as well as the nuclear elements they produce. |
Clique du Soleil: Solar Physics | Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics | ||
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The Solar Physics group is mainly concerned with understanding magnetic activity in the Sun using helioseismology | ![]() |
The SPH group at Monash actively develops the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method, with application to problems in fluid dynamics and computational astrophysics. |
Other research topics at MoCA include:
![]() | Neutron Star Binaries | ![]() | Particle Cosmology |
![]() | The Formation of the Solar System | ![]() | Star Formation |
![]() | Active Galaxies | ![]() | Binary Stars and the Early Universe |
![]() | Supernova Remnants | ![]() | Black Holes |