Collaborative Research: Massive Surveys for Pulsars and Radio Transients Using the Arecibo L-band Feed Array

合作研究：使用阿雷西博 L 波段馈电阵列对脉冲星和无线电瞬变进行大规模调查

• 批准号: 0807512
• 负责人: Geoffrey Bower
• 金额: $ 26.97万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0807512&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Massive; Surveys; Pulsars

This collaborative project will discover and study a large sample of neutron stars and also search for a variety of radio transient sources using the Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) at the Arecibo telescope. The science return results from both the hundreds of expected new pulsars and from rare, individual objects that will serve as laboratories for probing fundamental areas in physics and astrophysics.The pulsar survey will complement and transcend previous surveys by reaching more than twice the distance of the very successful multibeam survey using the Parkes telescope. The work is expected to lead to discoveries of rare objects that will be used as laboratories for basic physics and astrophysics to probe the equation of state of nuclear matter, gravity in compact, high-mass binaries, and gravitational-wave backgrounds. Discoveries may include the first black-hole/neutron-star binary, which would allow unprecedented studies of gravity in the strong-field limit. The large sample of new pulsars, when combined with existing ones, will contribute to the understanding of neutron stars as end products of stellar evolution, and will enable state-of-the-art modeling of the Milky Way Galaxy with respect to its ionized components. Also, use of the large number of pulsars as tracers will allow delineation of some ambiguously defined spiral arms of the Galaxy. The ultimate goals of the project will be enabled by the availability in 2008 of a new spectrometer that utilizes the full capabilities of the 7-beam system at Arecibo, and the availability of computer and data storage systems that can process and archive the large volume of data generated. Specific tasks include developmental activities related to the commissioning at Arecibo of the large bandwidth spectrometer, the setting up of the infrastructure required to analyze the data, and the intensive data analysis required to find new pulsars, all of which will be conducted in collaboration with the Pulsar ALFA Consortium, an international group of about 30 researchers. Over the 3-year project, about 1000 Terabytes of data will be analyzed using several computer clusters. Post-discovery studies will include timing campaigns and multiwavelength observations. A web-based system will provide access to source catalogs, timing models, and intermediate data products that can be used as a resource for synergistic studies. Raw data will be archived for long-term data mining applications and use in multiwavelength campaigns, such as future gamma-ray space telescope observations that require radio counterpart observations.The large data volume requires development of data management for streamlined analysis, archival and retrieval. The project therefore serves as a prototype for future data-intensive surveys in astronomy, and will enable eventual connection to multi-user facilities such as national and international virtual observatories. The project will also contribute to the training of graduate students, and to the teaching of undergraduate students by their inclusion in certain aspects of data analysis.

该协作项目将发现并研究大量中子星样本，并使用Arecibo望远镜的Arecibo L波段饲料阵列（ALFA）搜索各种无线电瞬态源。科学回报是由数百种预期的新脉冲星和稀有的单个物体造成的，这些物体将用作探测物理和天体物理学基本领域的实验室。脉冲星调查将通过使用公园望远镜达到非常成功的多层调查的两倍以上来补充和超越先前的调查。预计这项工作将导致稀有物体的发现，这些物体将用作基本物理和天体物理学的实验室，以探测核物质状态，紧凑，高质量二进制和重力波背景的重力方程。发现可能包括第一个黑洞/中子星二元，这将允许在强场极限内对重力进行前所未有的研究。大量的新脉冲星将与现有的脉冲星相结合，将有助于对中子恒星作为恒星进化的最终产物的理解，并将在其离子化成分方面实现银河系的最新建模。同样，使用大量脉冲星作为示踪剂将允许描述一些模棱两可的银河系螺旋臂。该项目的最终目标将通过2008年的可用性来实现，该新光谱仪利用Arecibo的7梁系统的全部功能以及可以处理和存档大量数据生成的计算机和数据存储系统的可用性。具体任务包括与大型带宽光谱仪在Arecibo的调试有关的发展活动，分析数据所需的基础架构的建立以及查找新的PULSARS所需的密集数据分析，所有这些分析将与Pulsar Alfa Ancomportium合作进行。在为期3年的项目中，将使用几个计算机簇分析大约1000个数据的数据。发现后的研究将包括定时运动和多波长观察。基于Web的系统将提供访问源目录，时机模型和中间数据产品的访问，这些数据产品可用作协同研究的资源。原始数据将用于长期数据挖掘应用程序并在多波伦长活动中使用，例如需要无线电对应物观测值的未来伽马射线空间望远镜观测值。大型数据量需要开发数据管理以进行简化的分析，档案和试验。因此，该项目是天文学中未来数据密集型调查的原型，并将最终与国家和国际虚拟观察者等多用户设施建立联系。该项目还将为研究生的培训以及本科生的教学贡献，它们包括在数据分析的某些方面。