Collaborative Research: Massive Surveys for Pulsars and Radio Transients Using the Arecibo L-band Feed Array

这个合作项目将发现和研究中子星的大样本，并使用阿雷西博望远镜的阿雷西博L波段馈电阵列(ALFA)搜索各种射电瞬变源。这项科学成果既来自数百颗预期的新脉冲星，也来自稀有的单个天体，这些天体将成为探测物理学和天体物理学基本领域的实验室。脉冲星调查将补充并超越之前的调查，其距离是非常成功的帕克斯望远镜多光束调查的两倍多。这项工作有望导致稀有天体的发现，这些稀有天体将被用作基础物理和天体物理的实验室，以探测核物质的状态方程、致密、高质量双星中的引力和引力波背景。这些发现可能包括第一个黑洞/中子星双星，这将允许史无前例地研究强场极限下的引力。新脉冲星的大样本与现有的脉冲星相结合，将有助于理解中子星是恒星演化的最终产物，并将使关于银河系电离成分的最先进建模成为可能。此外，使用大量的脉冲星作为示踪剂，将可以描绘出一些定义模糊的银河系旋臂。该项目的最终目标将是在2008年提供一种新的光谱仪，该光谱仪利用阿雷西博7光束系统的全部能力，并提供能够处理和存档产生的大量数据的计算机和数据存储系统。具体任务包括与在阿雷西博启用大带宽光谱仪有关的开发活动，建立分析数据所需的基础设施，以及发现新脉冲星所需的密集数据分析，所有这些都将与脉冲星阿尔法联盟合作进行，这是一个由大约30名研究人员组成的国际组织。在这个为期3年的项目中，大约1000 TB的数据将使用几个计算机集群进行分析。发现后的研究将包括计时活动和多波长观测。一个基于网络的系统将提供对来源目录、时间模型和中间数据产品的访问，这些产品可以用作协同研究的资源。原始数据将被存档，以供长期数据挖掘应用，并用于多波长活动，例如未来需要无线电对应观测的伽马射线空间望远镜观测。因此，该项目是未来天文学数据密集型调查的原型，最终将能够连接到国家和国际虚拟观测站等多用户设施。该项目还将通过将本科生纳入数据分析的某些方面，促进研究生的培训和本科生的教学。

This collaborative project will discover and study a large sample of neutron stars and also search for a variety of radio transient sources using the Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) at the Arecibo telescope. The science return results from both the hundreds of expected new pulsars and from rare, individual objects that will serve as laboratories for probing fundamental areas in physics and astrophysics.The pulsar survey will complement and transcend previous surveys by reaching more than twice the distance of the very successful multibeam survey using the Parkes telescope. The work is expected to lead to discoveries of rare objects that will be used as laboratories for basic physics and astrophysics to probe the equation of state of nuclear matter, gravity in compact, high-mass binaries, and gravitational-wave backgrounds. Discoveries may include the first black-hole/neutron-star binary, which would allow unprecedented studies of gravity in the strong-field limit. The large sample of new pulsars, when combined with existing ones, will contribute to the understanding of neutron stars as end products of stellar evolution, and will enable state-of-the-art modeling of the Milky Way Galaxy with respect to its ionized components. Also, use of the large number of pulsars as tracers will allow delineation of some ambiguously defined spiral arms of the Galaxy. The ultimate goals of the project will be enabled by the availability in 2008 of a new spectrometer that utilizes the full capabilities of the 7-beam system at Arecibo, and the availability of computer and data storage systems that can process and archive the large volume of data generated. Specific tasks include developmental activities related to the commissioning at Arecibo of the large bandwidth spectrometer, the setting up of the infrastructure required to analyze the data, and the intensive data analysis required to find new pulsars, all of which will be conducted in collaboration with the Pulsar ALFA Consortium, an international group of about 30 researchers. Over the 3-year project, about 1000 Terabytes of data will be analyzed using several computer clusters. Post-discovery studies will include timing campaigns and multiwavelength observations. A web-based system will provide access to source catalogs, timing models, and intermediate data products that can be used as a resource for synergistic studies. Raw data will be archived for long-term data mining applications and use in multiwavelength campaigns, such as future gamma-ray space telescope observations that require radio counterpart observations.The large data volume requires development of data management for streamlined analysis, archival and retrieval. The project therefore serves as a prototype for future data-intensive surveys in astronomy, and will enable eventual connection to multi-user facilities such as national and international virtual observatories. The project will also contribute to the training of graduate students, and to the teaching of undergraduate students by their inclusion in certain aspects of data analysis.