Collaborative Research: Automated Search and Follow-Up of Electromagnetic Counterparts to Gravitational-Wave Events in O4

爱因斯坦首先预言了合并的恒星会产生引力波。探测这些引力波的能力直到最近几年才出现。美国和欧洲的大型探测器，很快也会在日本，定位这些波来自天空的哪里。然后，望远镜在天空的这些部分搜索可见光。2017年，使用单口径望远镜发现了第一个类似引力波事件的光学对应物。该项目提议将努力扩大到10个搜索望远镜和近24个后续望远镜，覆盖四大洲和五个国家。通过这项努力，研究宇宙中最重的元素是如何产生的，以及一种测量宇宙膨胀速度的新方法将被探索出来。该项目还创新了本科课程，让学生（理科生和非理科生）从望远镜网络中收集和分析数据，进行具体的科学测量。此外，PI计划升级莫尔黑德天文馆和科学中心的动态天空展览。该项目实施了一个大规模、多分量的观测项目，旨在利用LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA在O4中≈100 Mpc范围内的较小定位，更快地识别引力波（GW）事件的光学对应；收集识别前的测量数据，以及密集的、多波长的识别后光曲线；并收集鉴定后光谱。这项观察工作将利用规划设施的独特设计和广泛的地理分布，以及已证明的成功，尽快确定这些对口设施。相应的信息将立即报告给更广泛的天文学界，如果及时的发射足够明亮，可能在LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA触发的几分钟内。早期的观察对于理解NS-NS、NS-BH、合并事件和r-过程核合成至关重要。对抛射物的极性分量相对于潮汐分量的测量，或者对非热余辉的测量，也可以获得视角信息，这些信息与GW数据相结合，可以产生一个“干净”的距离测量，从而产生一种新的、局部的测量哈勃常数的方法（这里将研究这种方法的系统学）。该项目支持研究生，将研究方面嵌入到本科课程中，并将改进当地天文馆的时变天空的公共演示。这个项目推进了“宇宙大构想之窗”的目标。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

Einstein first predicted that merging stars produce gravitational waves. The capability to detect these gravitational waves has only existed in the last few years. Large detectors in the US and Europe, and soon also in Japan, localize where in the sky these waves are coming from. Telescopes then search these parts of the sky for visible light. In 2017 the first such optical counterpart to a gravitational-wave event was discovered using a single aperture telescope This project proposes to expand the effort to ten search telescopes and nearly two dozen follow-up telescopes, spanning four continents and five countries. Through this effort, investigation of how the heaviest elements in the universe are produced, and a new means to measure how quickly the universe is expanding will be explored. This project also provides innovation in undergraduate curriculum by having students (both science majors and non-majors) collect and analyze data from a telescope network to make specific scientific measurements. Additionally, the PI plans to upgrade the dynamic-sky exhibit of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.This project implements a large-scale, multi-component observing program designed to take advantage of smaller LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA localizations within ≈100 Mpc in O4 to identify the optical counterparts of gravitational wave (GW) events more quickly; to collect pre-identification measurements as well, and dense, multi-wavelength post-identification light curves; and to collect post-identification spectroscopy. This observing effort will capitalize on the planned facilities’ unique design and broad geographic distribution, and proven success, to identify these counterparts as quickly as possible. Counterpart information will be reported to the broader astronomical community immediately, and possibly within only minutes of LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA triggers if prompt emission is sufficiently bright. Earlier observations are critical to understanding NS-NS, and NS-BH, merger events, and r-process nucleosynthesis. Measurements of the ejecta's polar component relative to its tidal component, or of the non-thermal afterglow, could also yield viewing-angle information, which in combination with the GW data could result in a “clean” measurement of the distance, and hence in a new, local method of measuring Hubble's constant (the systematics of one such approach will be studied here). This project supports graduate students, embeds research aspects into the undergraduate curriculum, and will make improvements in public demonstrations of the time variable sky at a local planetarium.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.