2017年8月17日，LIGO和Virgo引力波天文台发现了首例双中子星并合产生的引力波事件GW170817，而Fermi卫星上的GBM监测器观测到了来自这个源的短伽玛射线暴GRB170817A。随后，大量的空间和地面望远镜观测到了GW170817在X射线、紫外、光学、近红外、射电波段的电磁对应体，包括千新星AT2017gfo。这些观测发现不仅开创了多信使天文学的新纪元，而且证明至少部分短伽玛射线暴起源于双中子星的并合。基于GW170817/GRB170817A和未来可能观测到的其它类似源，本项目研究短伽玛射线暴及其天体物理问题，力求在瞬时辐射和余辉的辐射机制、中子星物质的状态方程、中心引擎的特征和能源模型、并合过程产生的抛射物性质、千新星的物理过程、快速射电暴的双致密星并合模型、中子星-黑洞并合引起的现象以及双中子星系统的形成率等方面取得重要的甚至突破性的进展。

On August 17, 2017, the LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) detectors, for the first time, discovered a GW event from a binary neutron star (BNS) merger, GW170817, and Fermi/GBM detected a short gamma-ray burst (named GRB170817A). Subsequently, many space-based and ground-based telescopes detected X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, nearly infrared, and radio counterparts to GW170817, including a multi-wavelength kilonova (named AT2017gfo). These discoveries not only mark the beginning of a new era of multi-messenger astronomy, but also show that at least some short gamma-ray bursts originate from binary neutron star mergers. Based on GW170817 and other similar sources detected in the future, in this project, we will study short gamma-ray bursts and related astrophysical problems. We would expect some important (or possibly breakthrough) works of ours at the following aspects: radiation mechanisms of prompt emission and afterglows, equations of state for neutron star matter, properties and mechanisms of central engines, properties of ejecta during BNS mergers, physical processes of kilonovae, merger models of fast radio bursts, phenomena of neutron star-black hole mergers, and formation rate of BNS systems.