VERITAS Upgrade for Optical Monitoring of Astronomical Transients

高能辐射望远镜阵列系统（VERITAS）是位于亚利桑那州南部的一个专门的天文台，专门为“伽马射线天文学”设计。VERITAS由四个12米长的光学反射器组成，旨在探测地球大气中高能光子（伽马射线）相互作用产生的微弱蓝光。这些伽马射线光子来自宇宙中的剧烈过程，如爆炸的恒星、星系中心的超大质量黑洞和密度非常大的磁化恒星（称为中子星）。该项目将改进VERITAS望远镜的电子设备，使其能够持续监测来自天体物理物体的可见光的光学变化，同时捕获这些伽马射线事件，以提供对传统光学望远镜无法探测到的太微弱或变化太快的天文源的灵敏度。这一仪器的进步将允许两个关键的科学项目。首先，寻找快速射电暴（frb）的光学对应物——来自非常遥远星系的神秘快速爆发的无线电波。其次，偶然观察到小的太阳系外天体（通常在海王星轨道之外）在过境附近恒星时投下的阴影。该项目计划通过与圣路易斯市学校的外展计划，积极向公众宣传他们的工作。这一建议旨在建立一种新型天文台，对具有非常快速光学变化的天体物理现象敏感。实现这种能力可以通过改进VERITAS（高能辐射成像望远镜阵列）伽玛射线天文台的电子设备来实现。对VERITAS波形数字化电子设备的改进将使VERITAS仪器成为一个光学观测站，具有无与伦比的灵敏度，可以在小于10毫秒的时间尺度上进行观测。宽视场（3.5度）大孔径（12米直径碟形）光子计数探测器，以及非常高速的读出（高达500兆赫）将使它成为在一个新的时间窗口中研究宇宙的独特的有能力的仪器。提出了一种新颖的方法，即改变FADC板上的可编程逻辑，通过光子计数技术提供光强度的高速流计算。改进后的电子设备将使该系统继续发挥伽马射线望远镜的作用，同时在整个视场范围内提供连续的光学变化监测。该项目还计划将这项技术跨学科地转移到同一所大学的一个癌症检测项目中。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。

The Very Energetic Radiation Telescope Array System (VERITAS) is a specialized observatory located in southern Arizona, specifically designed for “gamma-ray astronomy”. VERITAS is comprised of four 12m optical reflectors designed to detect the faint flashes of blue light from very energetic photons (gamma-rays) interacting in the Earth’s atmosphere. Such gamma-ray photons come from violent processes in the universe such as exploding stars, super-massive black holes in the centers of galaxies, and very dense magnetized stars (called neutron stars). This project will modify the electronics of the VERITAS telescopes to allow continuous monitoring of optical variations in visible light from astrophysical objects while also capturing these gamma-ray events, to provide sensitivity to astronomical sources that are too faint, or vary too rapidly to be detected by conventional optical telescopes. There are two key scientific programs this instrumentation advancement will permit. Firstly, a search for optical counterparts of fast radio bursts (FRBs) – mysterious rapid outbursts of radio waves originating from very distant galaxies. Secondly, serendipitous observations of shadows cast by small outer-solar system bodies (typically beyond the orbit of Neptune) that transit nearby stars. The project plans to be active in informing the public of their work through an outreach program with St. Louis City Schools. This proposal is aimed at producing a new type of observatory sensitive to astrophysical phenomena with very rapid optical variability. Realizing this capability can be achieved by an improvement of the electronics on the VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array) gamma-ray observatory. Improvements to the VERITAS waveform digitizer electronics would transform the VERITAS instrument into an optical observatory with unmatched sensitivity for observations on timescales less than 10 msec. The wide-field of view (3.5 deg) large aperture (12m diameter dishes) photon-counting detectors, and very high-speed readout (up to 500 MHz) would make this a uniquely capable instrument for studying the universe in a new temporal window. A novel approach is proposed whereby the programmable logic on the FADC boards would be changed in a way to provide high-speed streaming computation of the light intensity through a photon counting technique. The modified electronics would allow the system to continue to function as a gamma-ray telescope, while providing continuous monitoring of optical variability over the entire field-of-view. The project also plans interdisciplinary transfer of the technology developed to a cancer detection project at the same university.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.