Gamma-ray burst astronomy in the Swift era

伽马射线暴的研究是当代天体物理学中最活跃和最令人兴奋的领域之一，涉及所有人类感兴趣的主题：例如，地球上的生命在多大程度上是由银河系的大爆炸所塑造的？赛丁泉天文台的ROTSE-III可以说是世界上回答这些问题的最好的望远镜，也是南半球唯一能够快速（10秒以下）跟踪的望远镜。它将为澳大利亚天文学家在这一备受瞩目的领域提供竞争优势。这个项目，以及我们提出的仪器创新，将涉及并激励我们最好的物理和工程专业的学生。

The study of gamma-ray bursts is one of the most active and exciting fields in contemporary astrophysics, and touches on subjects that are of interest to all humans: e.g., to what extent was life on earth shaped by cataclysmic explosions in our galaxy? ROTSE-III, at Siding Spring Observatory, is arguably the best telescope in the world for answering some of these questions, and the only telescope capable of rapid (under 10 seconds) follow-up in the Southern Hemisphere. It will provide Australian astronomers with a competitive advantage in this high-profile field. This project, and our proposed innovations in instrumentation, will involve and inspire some of our best physics and engineering students.