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

该合作项目将发现和研究大量中子星样本，并使用阿雷西博望远镜上的l波段馈电阵列（ALFA）搜索各种射电瞬变源。科学返回的结果来自数百颗预期的新脉冲星和罕见的单个物体，这些物体将作为探索物理学和天体物理学基础领域的实验室。脉冲星调查将补充和超越以前的调查，其距离是帕克斯望远镜非常成功的多波束调查的两倍多。这项工作预计将导致发现稀有物体，这些物体将被用作基础物理学和天体物理学的实验室，以探索核物质的状态方程、致密、高质量双星中的重力以及引力波背景。发现可能包括第一个黑洞/中子星双子星，这将使在强场极限下的引力研究成为可能。新脉冲星的大样本，当与现有的脉冲星结合在一起时，将有助于理解中子星作为恒星演化的最终产物，并将使银河系的电离成分的最先进的建模成为可能。此外，利用大量脉冲星作为示踪剂，可以描绘出银河系中一些定义模糊的旋臂。该项目的最终目标将在2008年启用一台新的光谱仪，该光谱仪充分利用了阿雷西博7光束系统的全部能力，以及能够处理和存档生成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调试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，以及寻找新脉冲星所需的密集数据分析，所有这些都将与脉冲星ALFA联盟合作进行，该联盟是一个由大约30名研究人员组成的国际小组。在这个为期3年的项目中，将使用几个计算机集群分析大约1000太字节的数据。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源目录、时间模型和中间数据产品的访问，这些可以用作协同研究的资源。原始数据将被存档，用于长期数据挖掘应用和多波长活动，如未来需要无线电对应物观测的伽玛射线空间望远镜观测。庞大的数据量要求发展数据管理以简化分析、存档和检索。因此，该项目可作为未来天文学数据密集型调查的原型，并将最终实现与多用户设施（如国家和国际虚拟天文台）的连接。该项目还将有助于培养研究生，并通过将本科生纳入数据分析的某些方面来促进他们的教学。

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.