Cosmic Explosions

伽玛射线暴（GRBs）是宇宙中最亮的爆炸，比超新星亮数百万倍，是由高度相对论性的流出产生的。他们的研究直接或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、中微子和引力波发射。伽马射线暴的极端亮度也使它们成为婴儿期宇宙的理想探测器，用于系统地研究宇宙老化过程中元素的生长。该项目将继续一所大学和一个研究中心之间的合作，利用地面设施获得grb的关键观测数据，同时通过综合理论努力继续发展物理诊断。加州理工学院的研究小组最近在帕洛玛60英寸望远镜上投入了大量精力，开发了一种机器人GRB跟踪能力。这项工作提供了一种机制来训练学生的仪器，并将他们整合到研究中。该项目还将包括通过帕洛马游客中心和环绕那座山的美洲原住民社区，向代表性不足的群体伸出援手，并通过团队与媒体的持续参与，向更广泛的社区伸出援手。

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.