Cosmic Explosions

AST-0507734 Kulkarni伽马射线暴（GRB）是宇宙中最明亮的爆炸，比超新星亮数百万倍，由高度相对论性的外流产生。 他们的研究直接和间接地解决了天体物理学中一些最令人兴奋的问题，包括大质量恒星的死亡，黑洞和吸积物理学，宇宙粒子加速器以及中微子和引力波发射。 伽玛射线暴的极端亮度也使它们成为婴儿宇宙的理想探针，用于系统研究宇宙老化时元素的生长。 该项目将继续一所大学和一个研究中心之间的合作，以使用地面设施获得对伽玛暴的关键观测，并沿着综合理论工作以继续发展物理诊断。加州理工学院小组最近花费了大量精力在帕洛玛60英寸望远镜上开发机器人伽玛暴后续能力。 这一努力提供了一种机制，培养学生在仪器，并将他们纳入研究。 该项目还将包括通过帕洛玛游客中心和环绕该山的美洲土著社区向代表性不足的群体进行宣传，并通过该小组继续参与媒体向更广泛的社区进行宣传。

AST-0507734KulkarniGamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the brightest explosions in the Universe, shine millions of times brighter than supernovae, and are produced by highly relativistic outflows. Their study directly and indirectly addresses some of the most exciting questions in astrophysics, including the deaths of massive stars, black hole and accretion physics, cosmic particle accelerators, and neutrino and gravitational wave emission. The extreme brightness of GRBs also makes them ideal probes of the infant Universe, for systematic studies of the growth of elements as the Universe aged. This project will continue a collaboration between a university and a research center to obtain crucial enabling observations of GRBs using ground-based facilities, along with an integrated theory effort to continue development of physical diagnostics.The Caltech group has recently expended significant effort developing a robotic GRB follow-up capability at the Palomar 60-inch telescope. This effort provides a mechanism to train students in instrumentation, and to integrate them into the research. The project will also include outreach to under-represented groups, through the Palomar visitor center and the Native American communities that ring that mountain, and to a wider community through continuing involvement of the team with the media.