Enabling Multi-Messenger Astrophysics in the Advanced LIGO Era

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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.