VERITAS Upgrade for Optical Monitoring of Astronomical Transients

用于天文瞬变光学监测的 VERITAS 升级

• 批准号: 2108517
• 负责人: James Buckley
• 金额: $ 70.03万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-08-15 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2108517&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: VERITAS; Upgrade; Optical; Monitoring; Astronomical

The Very Energetic Radiation Telescope Array System (VERITAS) is a specialized observatory located in southern Arizona, specifically designed for “gamma-ray astronomy”. VERITAS is comprised of four 12m optical reflectors designed to detect the faint flashes of blue light from very energetic photons (gamma-rays) interacting in the Earth’s atmosphere. Such gamma-ray photons come from violent processes in the universe such as exploding stars, super-massive black holes in the centers of galaxies, and very dense magnetized stars (called neutron stars). This project will modify the electronics of the VERITAS telescopes to allow continuous monitoring of optical variations in visible light from astrophysical objects while also capturing these gamma-ray events, to provide sensitivity to astronomical sources that are too faint, or vary too rapidly to be detected by conventional optical telescopes. There are two key scientific programs this instrumentation advancement will permit. Firstly, a search for optical counterparts of fast radio bursts (FRBs) – mysterious rapid outbursts of radio waves originating from very distant galaxies. Secondly, serendipitous observations of shadows cast by small outer-solar system bodies (typically beyond the orbit of Neptune) that transit nearby stars. The project plans to be active in informing the public of their work through an outreach program with St. Louis City Schools. This proposal is aimed at producing a new type of observatory sensitive to astrophysical phenomena with very rapid optical variability. Realizing this capability can be achieved by an improvement of the electronics on the VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array) gamma-ray observatory. Improvements to the VERITAS waveform digitizer electronics would transform the VERITAS instrument into an optical observatory with unmatched sensitivity for observations on timescales less than 10 msec. The wide-field of view (3.5 deg) large aperture (12m diameter dishes) photon-counting detectors, and very high-speed readout (up to 500 MHz) would make this a uniquely capable instrument for studying the universe in a new temporal window. A novel approach is proposed whereby the programmable logic on the FADC boards would be changed in a way to provide high-speed streaming computation of the light intensity through a photon counting technique. The modified electronics would allow the system to continue to function as a gamma-ray telescope, while providing continuous monitoring of optical variability over the entire field-of-view. The project also plans interdisciplinary transfer of the technology developed to a cancer detection project at the same university.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.

甚高能辐射望远镜阵列系统（VERITAS）是位于亚利桑那州南部的一个专门观测站，专门用于“伽马射线天文学”。 VERITAS由四个12 m光学反射器组成，旨在检测地球大气中相互作用的高能光子（伽马射线）发出的微弱蓝光。 这种伽马射线光子来自宇宙中的剧烈过程，如爆炸的恒星，星系中心的超大质量黑洞和非常密集的磁化星（称为中子星）。该项目将修改VERITAS望远镜的电子设备，以便能够连续监测天体物理物体可见光的光学变化，同时还能捕捉这些伽马射线事件，以便对太微弱或变化太快而无法被传统光学望远镜探测到的天文源提供灵敏度。 有两个关键的科学计划，这种仪器的进步将允许。首先，寻找快速射电暴（FRB）的光学对应物-来自非常遥远星系的无线电波的神秘快速爆发。第二，偶然观测太阳系外的小天体（通常在海王星轨道之外）投射的阴影，这些天体经过附近的恒星。 该项目计划通过与圣路易斯市学校的外联方案，积极向公众宣传他们的工作。 这项建议的目的是建立一种新型观测台，对光学变化非常迅速的天体物理现象敏感。实现这一能力可以通过改进VERITAS（高能辐射成像望远镜阵列）伽马射线观测站的电子设备来实现。 对VERITAS波形数字化仪电子设备的改进将使VERITAS仪器变成一个光学观测台，对小于10毫秒的时标的观测具有无与伦比的灵敏度。宽视场（3.5度）大孔径（12米直径的盘子）光子计数探测器，以及非常高速的读出（高达500 MHz）将使其成为在新的时间窗口中研究宇宙的独特仪器。提出了一种新的方法，其中FADC板上的可编程逻辑将被改变的方式，通过光子计数技术提供光强度的高速流计算。改进后的电子设备将使该系统能够继续发挥伽马射线望远镜的作用，同时在整个视场范围内对光学变化进行连续监测。该项目还计划将开发的技术跨学科转移到同一所大学的癌症检测项目中。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。