RUI: Multi-Messenger Astronomy and Detector Characterization in LIGO

引力波有可能将天文学扩展到一个全新的领域，提供有关天体物理事件的动力学和核心引擎的信息，这些信息是通过任何其他手段都无法获得的。通过多信使天文学将引力波与电磁观测结合起来，将最大限度地利用现有信息，并允许科学发现，而这两种方法都是不可能的。我们的研究集中在三个具体项目上。其中第一个涉及寻找与短时间无线电脉冲重合的引力波。无线电信号是先进探测器时代多信使天文学完整计划的潜在关键组成部分。在某些情况下，无线电发射可能是除了引力波之外唯一可观测到的地球方向的信号。使用现有的绿色银行望远镜脉冲星调查的脉冲作为LIGO/Virgo搜索的外部触发器，将使我们能够更深入地探索我们目前的数据，并为未来无线电信号和引力波之间的重合分析奠定基础。多信使天文学可以进行的另一个方向，也是我们的第二个重点领域，需要用寻找其他天文信使的仪器来跟踪潜在的引力波触发。无论采用哪种方法来探测信号，拥有最好的数据对于成功探测引力波至关重要。 因此，第三个重点领域是探测器特性，即理解和减轻可能与天体物理信号混淆的探测器瞬态干扰，包括发展研究，通过观测引力波直接证实爱因斯坦的广义相对论将是一项重大成就，21世纪世纪的物理学，在引力理论以及天文学和天体物理学中产生了影响。 用同一事件的光子同时发射来验证这一观测结果，将增加我们对这一观测结果的信心。 此外，天文学的多信使方法，通过引力波“听到宇宙”以及通过光学，X射线或射电天文学看到它，将使我们能够获得我们周围天空的更完整的科学图片，可能包括伽马射线爆发和超新星等现象。由于这项研究是在一个主要的本科院校进行的，并充分整合了本科研究人员，这笔赠款也有利于准备下一代物理学家的关键任务。

Gravitational waves have the potential to expand astronomy into an entirely new regime, providing information about the dynamics and central engines of astrophysical events that are not available by any other means. Combining gravitational waves with electromagnetic observations through multi-messenger astronomy will maximize the information available and allow scientific discoveries that would not be possible with either alone. Our research focuses on three specific projects. The first of these involves searches for gravitational waves in coincidence with short duration radio pulses. Radio signals are a potentially crucial component of a full program of multi-messenger astronomy in the advanced detector era. In some cases, radio emission may be the only observable signal in the direction of the Earth aside from gravitational waves. Using pulses from currently existing Green Bank Telescope pulsar surveys as external triggers in LIGO/Virgo searches will allow us to probe deeper into our current data and set the stage for future coincident analyses between radio signals and gravitational waves. The other direction in which multi-messenger astronomy can be performed, and our second area of focus, entails the follow-up of potential gravitational wave triggers with instruments looking for other astronomical messengers. Regardless of the method employed to detect a signal, having the best data possible to work with will be critical in successfully detecting gravitational waves. Thus, the third area of focus is in detector characterization, the understanding and mitigation of transient disturbances in the detector that may be confused with astrophysical signals, including developmental studies, as well as well as work maintaining software and validating the calibration of the instruments.Direct confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity through the observation of gravitational waves would be a major accomplishment of 21st century physics, with consequences in gravitational theory as well as astronomy and astrophysics. Validating this observation with coincident emission of photons from the same event would increase our confidence in such an observation. Additionally, a multi-messenger approach to astronomy, "hearing the universe" through gravitational waves as well as seeing it through optical, x-ray or radio astronomy, will allow us to gain a more complete scientific picture of the sky around us, potentially including such phenomena as gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. Since the research is carried out at a primarily undergraduate institution and fully integrates undergraduate researchers, this grant also facilitates the critical task of preparing the next generation of physicists.