Grants and Contributions

Using the NIRSpec instrument on the JWST, this project will be monitoring the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-76b as it completes a full orbit around its host star to paint an accurate picture of the atmosphere's chemical composition. Ultra-hot Jupiters like WASP-76b feature extreme temperature differences between their permanent day and night sides, which makes the interpretation of observations more complicated. To address this, the planet's full 3D temperature structure and cloud cover will be measured. This will provide a detailed understanding of WASP-76b's atmospheric chemistry and its formation history – ultimately shedding light on the question why ultra-hot Jupiters exist at all.

This project will analyze JWST observations of the Red Rectangle, a unique nebula surrounding an evolved star, that exhibits all these signatures of carbonaceous dust at the same time. The team will spatially characterize the spectral properties of these carbonaceous components and use their emission to establish the inventory of carbonaceous species at each location, and map the growth of molecules and trace the processing induced by UV radiation. This will result in a thorough understanding of the formation of carbonaceous species in evolved stars and the impact of photo-chemistry of these species.

Observation of the gas kinematics within the sphere of influence of the black hole in NGC 4696, the central dominant galaxy of the Centaurus cluster of galaxies, using JWST’s NIRSpec IFU. Due to its proximity, recent deep high-spatial?resolution HST images of NGC 4696 have, for the first time, revealed an intriguing swirl in the ionized gas that appears to lead directly to the black hole—providing a unique opportunity to understand black hole accretion processes and their relationship with galaxy scale. The objectives of the project include mapping the velocity structure of the swirl, comparing it with state-of-the-art MHD simulations, measuring the black hole's mass, examining Bondi accretion, probing radio jet interactions, and searching for hidden cooling flows.

This project will study a luminous quasar, a galaxy with an accreting supermassive black hole (SMBH) in its center, located far away and observed at a time when the Universe was just 800 million years old. The goal is to investigate how powerful winds and radiation from central SMBH influence the physical condition of the host galaxy. It has been long believed that such accreting SMBHs play a significant role in shaping the evolution of their host galaxies, yet the exact mechanisms remain largely shrouded in mystery. This project will map, for the first time, the physical conditions of the gas around the central SMBH and reveal its impact on the host galaxy. The results from this project will provide valuable insights into the galaxy formation and evolutions in the early Universe.

Isolated brown dwarfs are good examples of what extrasolar planets look like, while also being much easier to study as their observations are not hindered by the glare of a host star. This project will study how the content and properties of brown dwarf clouds depend on the temperature and pressure in their atmospheres, and thereby on their age. The observations will be very important for understanding the clouds and atmospheres of both brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets, and for interpreting future observations with JWST.

The distant galaxy cluster SPT2349-56 will be studied using HST and JWST in optical through mid-infrared filters. The JWST NIRCam and MIRI instruments will be used to measure the stellar properties, star formation rates and histories, and galaxy morphologies of the member galaxies. This will allow a full characterization of the stars, gas, and dust in this cosmologically important protocluster of primordial starburst galaxies.

This project will study the evolution of the atmospheric content in brown dwarfs. The observations will inform both our theoretical understanding of brown dwarf and extrasolar planet atmospheres, and future observations with JWST and other space- or ground-based large telescopes.

Most of the hydrogen gas in the Universe is ionized, but prior to the formation of galaxies, the Universe was neutral. Once stars started forming, a significant phase change occurred in the universe, a process known as “Reionization”. This project will look for the faintest possible sources of Reionization, tiny dwarf galaxies. The project targets strong-lensing clusters which provide a factor of 3 - 50 boost in the brightness of background sources. This increase in sensitivity allows the detection of extraordinarily low-mass galaxies (the equivalent of large star-clusters) during the reionization epoch and quantify their role in this process.

This work will employ a combination of remote sensing data analysis, sample analysis, and simulations of impact crater formation to improve our understanding of the geological context and history of the first Canadian rover landing site region and broader south polar area of the Moon. In addition, analogue field activities and the analysis of samples (Apollo samples, lunar meteorites, regolith simulants) using the first Canadian rover instruments and traditional lab facilities will also better prepare the team for the first Canadian rover operations.

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.