Grants and Contributions

Through this project, Canadian students will be answering fundamental questions on black holes. The XRISM X-ray observations enable the study of the exotic physics at work in the black hole environment, providing the means to determine the composition of the material around black holes, and the direction and velocity at which it is moving.

Hydra A is the most powerful FR I radio source in the nearby Universe. Emanating from the central galaxy in a bright X-ray cluster, its jets have inflated a system of X-ray cavities and a surrounding Mach 1.3 shock front extending several hundred kiloparsecs into the cluster atmosphere. Its proximity (z=0.054) and large angular size requires two pointings to measure the energetics of the active inner jets and a second pointing toward the enormously powerful northern cavity and surrounding shock front. The pointings will reveal the expansion speed and cluster weather due to atmospheric bulk motion on the structure of the X-ray cavities. This measurement addresses the fundamental problem of how jet energy heats cluster atmospheres and prevents catastrophic cooling.

Lunarwell turns dirty lunar ice into clean water with the help of sunlight and the Moon's vacuum

This project will observe the thermal emission of TOI-849 b, one of the most intriguing sub Neptunes, with JWST. Because of its large mass and its high temperature, TOI-849b is an ultra-dense and ultra-hot sub-Neptune which is thought to be the exposed remnant core of a giant planet, akin to the deep interior of our own Jupiter but without the extended hydrogen atmosphere. These observations will characterize the composition and structure of the planet and reveal key insights into its nature and evolution. This will represent a major step for sub-Neptune and planet formation science by giving a previously unobtainable direct look at a planetary core of a giant planet, enabling abundance and temperature structure measurements.

This project will observe the mid-IR thermal emission of the recently discovered cool exo-Earth LP 791-18d to determine whether an atmosphere is present or not. LP 791- 18d orbits a nearby M6 dwarf and is proposed to be volcanically active due to strong tidal heating of its interior, similar to Jupiter's moon Io. The volcanic activity would result in continuous replenishment of LP 791-18d's atmosphere, which our observations will probe for. The presence of an atmosphere on LP 791-18d would be a first signal that cool rocky planet around M dwarf can host atmospheres, motivating a larger campaign to probe the prevalence and diversity of secondary atmospheres.

The project will combine U-band imaging from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) with Euclid, Subaru, and Spitzer data in the Euclid Deep Field North to produce photometric catalogs of millions of galaxies over an unprecedented combination of area (10 sq deg) and depth (27 mag). The U-band data we will add to this dataset is key for accurate photometric redshifts and measuring rates of star formation in galaxies. The joint catalogs will open a large field of science areas for investigation; in particular, the team will study how the fates of millions of galaxies are governed by their locations within the filamentary, Universe-pervading Cosmic Web. The catalogs will contain millions of galaxies and will be made public enabling a vast array of research and a legacy treasure-trove.

this program leverages the unique spectroscopic and imaging capabilities of JWST to measure the chemical composition, velocities, and ages of stars across the disk of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) in a level of detail that has, until JWST, only been possible within our own Milky Way galaxy. This novel dataset will provide the first spatial profile of detailed star-by-star stellar chemistry in an external spiral galaxy as well as the most precise constraints on the historical star formation of M31’s inner disk to date.

The objective of this AO is to support Canadian students to participate in national and international space conferences and training events that will offer them the opportunity to learn about and be involved in the latest developments in space science and technology, to develop their professional network, and in some cases, present their research results at the national and international level.

The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto is contributing the primary science camera, the U of T developed “LUVCam” to the Czech National space telescope mission: Quick Ultra-VIolet Kilonova surveyor (QUVIK). The Dunlap Institute is granted full partnership and Co-I status on QUVIK, access to all data, and observing time on the mission. Graduate students, faculty, fellows, and staff are flying LUVCam on the GRBBeta CubeSat mission, which launched in July 2024 as technology development precursor to QUVIK. LUVCam will open a new path to low-cost, highquality space astronomy for universities and scientists worldwide.

The objective of this AO is to support Canadian students to participate in national and international space conferences and training events that will offer them the opportunity to learn about and be involved in the latest developments in space science and technology, to develop their professional network, and in some cases, present their research results at the national and international level.