Unmasking the Remnants of Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Era of Gravitational Wave Astronomy

该奖项支持相对论和相对论天体物理学的研究，并阐述了美国国家科学基金会“宇宙之窗”宏伟构想的优先领域。引力波多信使天文学时代始于2017年8月17日，当时LIGO(激光干涉仪引力波天文台)发现了一个被称为GW170817的事件。这是第一次直接观测到螺旋状双星中子星发出的引力波，同时还探测到了所有波长的光。GW170817的多信使观测为包括引力物理、核物理、宇宙学和相对论天体物理在内的许多领域提供了至关重要的信息。尽管取得了令人瞩目的进展，但仍有几个问题悬而未决。一个关键的问题是，合并后剩下的恒星物体是短命的中子星、长寿的中子星，还是迅速形成的黑洞。该裁决支持对LIGO数据的搜索，以寻找旨在揭示合并残余性质的签名。研究残骸的性质如何取决于合并物体的性质，可以解开密度比地球实验室可以探测的密度大得多的物质的基本物理学，并澄清恒星墓地中一些最奇异物体的物理学。该项目还支持对将成为下一代科学家的研究生和本科生的培训，以及旨在向普通公众和K12学生介绍LIGO成果的几项外联活动。具体的智力目标是：(1)通过搜索新形成的中子星的引力波，揭开伴随着伽马射线暴的致密天体合并的残留物；(2)评估新开发的互相关算法在探测合并残余物可能产生的引力波信号方面的效率，及其在探测后参数估计方面的效力；(3)通过未来升级的引力波探测器，量化发现长伽马射线暴中的中子星形成引力波的可能性。更广泛的影响目标是：(I)通过利用TTU荣誉学院-Bayless小学辅导计划，将适合年龄的演讲和与LIGO相关的外展活动带给代表不足的群体；(Ii)向南平原地区科学博览会颁发LIGO奖；(Iii)在TTU天体之夜向公众展示LIGO成果。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports research in relativity and relativistic astrophysics and it addresses the priority areas of NSF's "Windows on the Universe" Big Idea. The era of gravitational-wave multi-messenger astronomy started on 2017 August 17, when LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) discovered an event dubbed GW170817. This was the very first direct observation of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star in-spiral, which was accompanied by the detection of light at all wavelengths. The multi-messenger observations of GW170817 have crucially informed a large variety of fields including gravitational physics, nuclear physics, cosmology, and relativistic astrophysics. In spite of the spectacular progress, several questions remain open. A key one is whether the stellar object leftover from the merger is a short-lived neutron star, a long-lived neutron star, or a promptly formed black hole. This award supports searches of LIGO data for signatures aimed at uncovering the nature of the merger remnant. Studying how the nature of the remnant depends on the properties of the merging objects can unlock the fundamental physics of matter at densities much larger than those that can be probed in Earth-based laboratories and clarify the physics of some of the most exotic objects in the stellar graveyard. This project also supports the training of graduate and undergraduate students who will constitute the next generation of scientists, and several outreach activities aimed at presenting LIGO results to the general public and K12 students. Specific intellectual goals are: (i) Unmasking the remnants of compact object mergers accompanied by gamma-ray bursts by carrying out searches for gravitational waves from newly formed neutron stars; (ii) Assessing the efficiency of the newly-developed Cross-Correlation Algorithm (CoCoA) in detecting the full zoo of possible gravitational wave signals from merger remnants, and its efficacy in post-detection parameter estimation; (iii) Quantifying the potential for discovery of gravitational waves from neutron stars formed in long gamma-ray bursts by future upgraded gravitational wave detectors. Broader impact goals are: (i) Bringing age-appropriate presentations and LIGO-related outreach activities to under-represented groups by leveraging the TTU Honors College-Bayless Elementary School mentoring program; (ii) Presenting a LIGO prize to the South Plains Regional Science Fair; (iii) Presenting LIGO results to the general public during the Astronight at TTU.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.