Excellence in Research: Time Domain Astronomy in the Caribbean: Detecting and Characterizing the Fastest Astrophysical Transient Events

这一研究项目旨在利用维尔京群岛大学机器人望远镜的独特位置，监测和探测短暂（瞬时）和爆炸性天文事件。 VIRT在全球天文瞬变事件覆盖范围内处于“盲点”，其机器人能力使其能够在识别此类事件后几分钟内作出反应。这将允许新的发现以及快速监测正在进行的多波长观测调查中的已知瞬态事件，使天文学家能够描述多个波长的瞬态事件并了解造成这些事件的机制。 通过支持博士后研究人员，该项目将加强维尔京群岛大学（UVI）的天文学研究计划。 它还将为UVI物理课程的学生提供研究机会。研究团队将为VIRT实施实时数据分析管道，创建光曲线模板数据库，并建立现代机器学习基础设施，用于快速分类天文瞬态事件。 该项目将通过支持一名专门的博士后研究人员并让本科生参与该项目的几个方面来加强UVI的研究和教育计划。 这将有助于实现UVI？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。

This research project seeks to exploit the unique location of the University of the Virgin Islands Robotic Telescope (VIRT) to monitor and detect short-lived (transient) and explosive astronomical events. The VIRT is in a "blind spot" in the global coverage of astronomical transient events, and its robotic capability allows it to respond within minutes of the identification of such events. This will allow new discoveries as well as rapid monitoring of known transient events from ongoing multi-wavelength observational surveys, allowing astronomers to characterize transient events at multiple wavelengths and understand the mechanisms responsible for them. By supporting a postdoctoral researcher, this project will strengthen the astronomy research program at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). It will also provide research opportunities for students in the Physics program at UVI. The research team will implement a real-time data analysis pipeline for the VIRT, create a lightcurve template database, and build a modern machine-learning infrastructure for rapid classification of astronomical transient events. The project will bolster the research and education programs at UVI by supporting a dedicated postdoctoral researcher and involving undergraduate students in several aspects of the project. It will thus help realize UVI?s potential in research and help establish it as a major research and education institution.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.