WoU-MMA: An Integrated Time Domain System for Discovery and Fast Follow-up of Gravitational Wave Events and Other Transients

对黑洞和中子星宇宙碰撞的探测是通过专门的实验(如激光干涉仪引力波天文台；LIGO)定期进行的，但天文学家很难确定相关的爆炸，因为这些位置在天空中的定位很差。要在天空的大范围内定位瞬变目标，需要快速反应、机器学习技术以及不同团队和机器人望远镜之间的协调。该项目将开发亚利桑那州时间域系统，这是一套软件工具和机器人望远镜，旨在能够快速跟踪爆炸报告。该系统将询问来自世界各地的望远镜和实验的传入数据流，使用机器学习技术解析它们以寻找感兴趣的目标，然后实时做出反应，观察和收集有关爆炸的数据。这种序列的发生很少或根本没有人为干预。因此，从发现新的超新星或其他宇宙爆炸到对该事件的描述之间的时间缩短，将带来新的科学理解。该项目计划与PIMA社区学院进行互动，向学生传授面向天文学的计算机编程。双中子星合并GW170817的电磁发射的发现，以及在第三次LIGO/处女座观测运行期间发现的进一步的中子星合并，给多信使天文学领域带来了活力。为了解决与千诺瓦排放有关的悬而未决的问题，必须发现更多的对应关系，最好是在早期，以便区分理论模型。该项目将建立亚利桑那州时间域系统(ATDS)，这是一套综合的工具，用于促进发现和跟踪引力波对应物，并与两个搜索望远镜相结合。ATDS将为LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA的第四次先进探测器运行(O4)及以后提供重大的发现潜力。ATDS将把望远镜和警报数据流连接到内部的瞬变经纪人，该经纪人将把有希望的候选人发送到新建的望远镜观测管理器，该管理器将迅速建立光度和光谱跟踪。这一开源计划将把几种新的、未经证实的、基本上是概念化的时域工具集成到第一批真正集成的时域系统之一，这将显著提高我们对新的引力波事件及其候选同行做出反应的能力。这样的综合系统对于最大限度地利用多信使天体物理学和其他大型时间域调查的科学至关重要。作为该计划的一部分开发的所有工具和软件都将是开源的，使整个天文学社区受益。这个项目推进了宇宙大理想之窗的目标。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Detection of the cosmic collisions of black holes and neutrons stars are happening on a regular basis with specialized experiments (such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory; LIGO), but astronomers struggle to identify the associated explosions because the positions are poorly localized on the sky. To locate the transient target in a large area on the sky requires fast reaction, machine learning techniques, and coordination between different teams and robotic telescopes. This project will develop the Arizona Time Domain System, a set of software tools and robotic telescopes designed to be able to follow-up quickly on reports of explosions. The system will interrogate streams of incoming data from telescopes and experiments around the world, parse them for interesting targets using machine learning techniques, and then react in real time to observe and gather data on the explosion. This sequence occurring with little or no human intervention. The resulting reduction in time between discovery of a new supernova or other cosmic explosion, and the characterization of that event will lead to new scientific understanding. The project plans an interaction with Pima Community College that will teach astronomy oriented computer programming to students.The field of multi-messenger astronomy has been energized by the discovery of electromagnetic emission from the binary neutron star merger GW170817, along with the discovery of further neutron star mergers during the third LIGO/Virgo observing run. To address open questions related to kilonova emission, more counterparts must be discovered, preferably at early times in order to distinguish between theoretical models. This project will build the Arizona Time Domain System (ATDS), an integrated set of tools to facilitate the discovery and follow-up of gravitational wave counterparts, in conjunction with two search telescopes. ATDS will provide significant discovery potential for LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA’s fourth advanced detector run (O4) and beyond. The ATDS will connect telescopes and alert data streams to an in-house transient broker that will send promising candidates to a newly built telescope observation manager that will rapidly institute photometric and spectroscopic follow-up This open source program will integrate several new, unproven and largely conceptual time domain tools into one of the first truly integrated time domain systems that will significantly advance our ability to respond to new gravitational wave events and their candidate counterparts. Such integrated systems will be essential for maximizing the science from both multi-messenger astrophysics and other large time domain surveys. All the tools and software developed as part of this program will be open source, benefiting the entire astronomical community. This project advances the goals of the Windows on the Universe Big Idea.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.