Associate Professor Tony Travouillon
Areas of expertise
- Astronomical Instrumentation 510102
- Space Instrumentation 510906
- Photonics, Optoelectronics And Optical Communications 510204
- Turbulent Flows 401213
- Acoustics And Acoustical Devices; Waves 510301
Research interests
My main area of research is in instrumentation for astronomy and space research.
One of my areas of focus is instrumentation for transient astronomy. I have worked on telescopes like Gattini and DREAMS and focusing on the next generation of wide-field infrared telescopes such as Cryoscope, WST. I am also contributing to the automation of the Siding Spring transient factory and the design of the Keck Wide Field Imager.
I am highly invested on the study of the atmosphere and its impact on astronomical observations and space communication. I have developed instruments to measure the atmosphere turbulence and carried out site testing for some of the largest telescopes in the world. I am currently interested in using these technologies to search for great locations in Australia and the South pacific to install new laser-communication ground stations.
My interest in adaptive optics and wavefront sensing has led me work on the TMT, GMT and Subaru adaptive optics systems, notably on the development of deformable mirror and Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors.
Researcher's projects
Siding Spring transient factory: Wide field infrared surveys and telescope automation
- GMT laser tomography Adaptive Optics: wavefront sensing technology for the next generation telescope
- Turbulence sensing and atmospheric modelling for Optical communication with space.
- Pyxis: space interferometry. Prototyping phase of a 3 CubeSat system to perform exoplanet research from space.
Available student projects
Student projecst open in:
- Software for wide-field infrared telescope surveys
- Atmospheric turbulence measurements
- wavefront sensing and laser tomography adative optics
- GUI and control software for a telescope farm
Publications
- De, K, Chakrabarty, D, Soria, R et al. 2022, 'A Massive AGB Donor in Scutum X-1: Identification of the First Mira Variable in an X-Ray Binary', Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 928, no. 1, pp. 1-7.
- Birch, M, Soon, J, Travouillon, T et al. 2022, 'InGaAs focal plane array for transient astronomy in the NIR', Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1-12.
- Lau, R, Tinyanont, S, Hankins , M et al. 2021, 'Discovery of a 310 Day Period from the Enshrouded Massive System NaSt1 (WR 122)', The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 922, no. 1, pp. 1-15.
- Sollerman, J, Yang, S, Strotjohann, N et al. 2021, 'The Type II supernova SN 2020jfo in M 61, implications for progenitor system, and explosion dynamics', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 655, pp. 1-20.
- Hillenbrand, L, De, K, Hankins, M et al. 2021, 'Outbursting Young Stellar Object PGIR 20dci in the Perseus Arm', The Astronomical Journal, vol. 161, no. 5, pp. 1-11.
- Karambelkar, V, Kasliwal, M, Tisserand, P et al. 2021, 'Census of R Coronae Borealis Stars. I. Infrared Light Curves from Palomar Gattini IR', The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 910, no. 2.
- De, K, Kasliwal, M, Hankins, M et al. 2021, 'A Population of Heavily Reddened, Optically Missed Novae from Palomar Gattini-IR: Constraints on the Galactic Nova Rate', The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 912, no. 1.
- Abbot, H, Munro, J, Travouillon, T et al. 2021, 'Archival Weather Conditions at Siding Spring Observatory', Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, vol. 133, no. 1027, pp. 1-12.
- Lagadec, T, Ireland, M, Hansen, J et al. 2020, 'Compact unambiguous differential path-length metrology with dispersed Fabry-Perot laser diodes for a space interferometer array', SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation Adaptive Optics Systems VII, ed. Laura Schreiber, Dirk Schmidt, Elise Vernet, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Bellingham, WA, United States.
- Lingham, M, Bouchez, A, Gers, L et al. 2020, 'Design concept for Pocket-GMT', Advances in Optical Astronomical Instrumentation 2019, ed. Simon Ellis & Celine d'Orgeville, SPIE, Bellingham, United States, pp. 1-2.
- Lingham, M, Munro, J, Gers, L et al. 2020, 'Design of Pocket-GMT: an optical emulation of the Giant Magellan Telescope', Experimental Astronomy, vol. 50, no. 2-3, pp. 289-302.
- De, K, Ashley, M, Andreoni, I et al. 2020, 'Constraining the X-Ray-Infrared Spectral Index of Second-timescale Flares from SGR 1935+2154 with Palomar Gattini-IR', Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 901, no. 1, pp. 1-9.
- De, K, Hankins, M, Kasliwal, M et al. 2020, 'Palomar gattini-ir: Survey overview, data processing system, on-sky performance and first results', Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, vol. 132, no. 1008.
- Soon, J, Adams, D, De, K et al. 2020, 'Wide-field dynamic astronomy in the near-infrared with Palomar Gattini-IR and DREAMS', Proceedings of SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering, vol. 11203, pp. -.
- Hansen, J, Ireland, M, Travouillon, T et al. 2020, 'Linear formation-flying astronomical interferometry in low-Earth orbit: A feasibility study', Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, ed. Makenzie Lystrup, Marshall D. Perrin, Natalie Batalha, Nicholas Siegler, Edward, SPIE, United States.
- Munro, J, Travouillon, T & Lingham, M 2020, 'Fast pixel difference algorithm for determining piston step between optical mirror segments', SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation Adaptive Optics Systems VII, ed. Laura Schreiber, Dirk Schmidt, Elise Vernet, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Bellingham, WA, United States.
- Martinez Rey, N, D'Orgeville, C, Ashworth, D et al. 2020, 'Australia's first laser guide star: Design and telescope integration at Mount Stromlo Observatory', SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation Adaptive Optics Systems VII, ed. Laura Schreiber, Dirk Schmidt, Elise Vernet, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Bellingham, WA, United States.
- Kennicutt II, M, Bromwich, D, Liggett, D et al. 2019, 'Sustained Antarctic Research: A 21st Century Imperative', One Earth, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 95-113.
- Travouillon, T, Munro, J, Lingham, M et al. 2019, 'A Phasing testbed for the Giant Magellan Telescope', 6th International Conference on Adaptive Optics for Extremely Large Telescopes, AO4ELT 2019, AO4ELT, Quebec, pp. 1-5.
- Otarola, A, De Breuck, C, Travouillon, T et al. 2019, 'Precipitable Water Vapor, Temperature, and Wind Statistics At Sites Suitable for mm and Submm Wavelength Astronomy in Northern Chile', Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, vol. 131, no. 998.
- Coughlin, M, Ahumada, T, De, K et al. 2019, 'GROWTH on S190425z: Searching Thousands of Square Degrees to Identify an Optical or Infrared Counterpart to a Binary Neutron Star Merger with the Zwicky Transient Facility and Palomar Gattini-IR', Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 885, no. 1, pp. -.
- Soon, J, Moore, A, Kasliwal, M et al. 2018, 'Opening the dynamic infrared sky', Ground-Based and Airborne Telescopes VII 2018, ed. H K Marshall, J Spyromilio, SPIE, TBC.
- Lingham, M, Grosse, D, Bennet, F et al. 2018, 'Adaptive optics tracking and pushing system for space debris manoeuvre', SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018, ed. Laird M. Close, Laura Schreiber, Dirk Schmidt, SPIE, Bellingham, United States, pp. 1-15.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Explosive Astrophysics from Siding Spring Observatory (Secondary Investigator)
- Developing an Automated Observatory in French Polynesia: The site Testing Phase (Primary Investigator)
- Exploring the Dynamic Universe with DREAMS (Secondary Investigator)
- Linear Formation Interferometry for Astrophysics and New Space Technologies (Secondary Investigator)
- Anti Vibration Mount (Secondary Investigator)
- KECK Real Time Computer - Statement of work for ANU contribution (Secondary Investigator)
