Enabling Multi-Messenger Astrophysics in the Advanced LIGO Era

根据爱因斯坦的广义相对论，大质量天体可以产生引力波，引力波是时空几何中的涟漪，以光速向外传播。世界各地的科学家们目前正在建造和改进非常灵敏的仪器，美国的LIGO和欧洲的Virgo，第一次直接探测到这些微小的涟漪。这些仪器有望在几年内探测到来自中子星碰撞、黑洞和/或其他来源的信号。该奖项支持的工作将增加LIGO-Virgo数据的科学价值，使其能够与可能使用光学、无线电、x射线或伽马射线望远镜（“多信使”科学）看到相同事件的天文学家进行快速通信和联合分析。除此之外，这项工作有可能测试短伽马射线暴和快速射电暴的起源理论，这是天文学家看到的两种简短的神秘信号。除了直接的科学成果外，这项研究还将在科学界建立合作关系，并将通过在ligo.org网站上发布的摘要和外联活动与公众分享结果。基于以前的经验，我们将进行两个主要项目来支持多信使搜索。首先，我们将在准备LIGO和Virgo合作承诺支持的“电磁（EM）后续计划”方面发挥主导作用。我们将提供软件工具和验证，以选择引力波（GW）事件候选者，收集相关信息，并向与LIGO和Virgo合作的天文学家发送警报，以积极寻找EM对应物。我们将促进合作伙伴之间的沟通，并参与对共同观测到的任何天体物理事件的分析。二是实施并开展对LWA1等大视场射电望远镜探测到的GW信号和射电暴的联合搜索。结合LIGO和Virgo的全天灵敏度，这将提高我们在抑制局部噪声源的同时探测某些罕见天体物理瞬变的能力。

According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, massive astrophysical objects can produce gravitational waves, which are ripples in the geometry of space-time that travel outward at the speed of light. Scientists around the world are currently building and refining exquisitely sensitive instruments, named LIGO in the U.S. and Virgo in Europe, to detect these tiny ripples directly for the first time. These instruments are expected to detect signals from colliding neutron stars, black holes, and/or other sources starting in a few years. The work supported by this award will increase the science value of LIGO-Virgo data by enabling rapid communication and joint analysis with astronomers who may see the same events using optical, radio, X-ray or gamma-ray telescopes--"multi-messenger" science. Among other things, this work has the potential to test theories of the origins of short gamma-ray bursts and fast radio bursts, two types of brief enigmatic signals seen by astronomers. Besides direct scientific results, this research will build cooperation within the scientific community, and results will be shared with the general public through summaries posted on the ligo.org web site and at outreach events.Building on previous experience, we will pursue two main projects to enable multi-messenger searches. First, we will play a leading role in preparing the "electromagnetic (EM) follow-up program" that the LIGO and Virgo collaborations have committed to supporting. We will provide software tools and validation to select gravitational-wave (GW) event candidates, assemble relevant information, and send alerts to astronomers who have partnered with LIGO and Virgo to actively search for EM counterparts. We will facilitate communication among partners and participate in the analysis of any astrophysical events that are jointly observed. Second, we will implement and carry out joint searches for GW signals and radio bursts detected by large-field-of-view radio telescope facilities such as LWA1. Combined with the all-sky sensitivity of LIGO and Virgo, this will improve our ability to detect certain types of rare astrophysical transients while suppressing local noise sources.