The Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network

天体物理现象，尤其是最具能量的天体物理现象，会发射从光子到中微子和宇宙射线的一系列粒子。 它们还可能产生引力辐射。 这些“信使”携带着这些来源中的能量和身体状况的详细信息。 天体物理多信使观测站网络（AMON）旨在通过首次将世界领先的多信使观测站合并到单一数据系统中来发现新的粒子天体物理现象。 AMON 连接的设施观测高能中微子（IceCube 和 ANTARES 中微子观测站）、观测为宇宙射线的强相互作用原子核（皮埃尔·奥格宇宙射线观测站），并在未来阶段观测时空结构中表现为引力波的振荡（高级 LIGO 和 VIRGO 引力波探测器）。这些设施得到了当前和下一代伽马射线设施的补充，包括雨燕卫星和费米卫星以及 HAWC 伽马射线天文台。 在三年的奖励期内，PI 将构建一个原型 AMON 网络，其科学目标是发现第一个联合发射伽马射线和高能中微子源。 结合 AMON 项目，PI 还将启动并运行“AstroTxt”，这是一种应用教育体验，将让宾夕法尼亚州中部的中学生和高中生直接参与实时 AMON 操作。 AMON 将组装第一个 TB 级多消息数据库，并开发数据交换和实时相关分析工具，建立卓越的互操作性水平。 这种新的、透明的数据共享有望带来重大的科学进步：来自各个设施的数据不能单独解释为对天体物理源的探测，但在对来自多个参与观测站的数据进行联合同步分析时可能会达到更高的重要性。 每个候选天体物理信号将被打包为电子 AMON 警报，并分发到后续设施网络，以进行对应搜索和表征。 X射线、光学或无线电对应物的识别将有助于确认事件的天体物理性质，并能够使用传统天文学技术进行广泛的详细研究，包括距离或红移测量。

Astrophysical phenomena, and particularly the most energetic, emit a range of particles from photons to neutrinos and cosmic rays. They may also produce gravitational radiation. These "messengers" carry details of the energetics and physical conditions in these sources. The Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network (AMON) aims to discover new particle astrophysics phenomena by merging the world's leading multimessenger observatories into a single data system for the first time. The facilities to be linked by AMON observe high-energy neutrinos (the IceCube and ANTARES Neutrino Observatories), the strongly-interacting nuclei observed as cosmic rays (the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory), and in future phases, the oscillations in the fabric of space-time manifested as gravitational waves (the Advanced LIGO and VIRGO gravitational-wave detectors). These are complemented by current and next-generation gamma-ray facilities, including the Swift and Fermi satellites and the HAWC gamma-ray observatory. Over the three year award period, the PIs will construct a prototype AMON network with the scientific goal of discovering the first jointly-emitting gamma-ray and high-energy neutrino sources. In conjunction with the AMON project, the PIs will also initiate and run "AstroTxt," an applied educational experience that will involve central Pennsylvania middle and high school students directly in real-time AMON operations. AMON will assemble the first terabyte-scale multimessenger database and develop tools for data exchange and real-time correlation analysis, establishing a superior level of interoperability. This new and transparent sharing of data promises significant scientific advances: Data from individual facilities that in isolation cannot be interpreted as the detection of an astrophysical source, may achieve a higher level of significance in a joint coincident analysis of data from multiple participating observatories. Each candidate astrophysical signal will be packaged as an electronic AMON Alert and distributed to a network of follow-up facilities for counterpart searches and characterization. Identification of an x-ray, optical, or radio counterpart will serve to confirm the astrophysical nature of an event and enable a broad range of detailed studies, including distance or redshift measurement, using traditional astronomical techniques.