Cosmic Collisions, Relativistic Blasts, and their Remnants in the Era of Multi-Messenger Astronomy

多信使天文学时代的宇宙碰撞、相对论爆炸及其残余

• 批准号: 2307358
• 负责人: Alessandra Corsi
• 金额: $ 43.13万
• 依托单位: Texas Tech University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2307358&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Cosmic; Collisions; Relativistic; Blasts; their

GW170817 is the name given by astronomers to the merger of two neutron stars witnessed through its gravitational wave siren, an associated gamma-ray burst, and its glow at all wavelengths of light. This discovery marked the beginning of a golden age in time-domain multi-messenger astronomy. A research team at Texas Tech University will use radio observations to study the physics of multi-messenger transients. While this group helps shape the path forward for multi-messenger astronomy, it will also undertake educational and outreach initiatives aimed at building the next generation of scientists. These will include training students in computing and data analysis through the Radio Astronomy Data Imaging and Analysis Lab (RADIAL), a partnership between the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and fourteen minority-serving institutions of higher education and sponsoring the yearly public Bucy Distinguished Lecture to further encourage participation of the general public and local minorities in STEM. This project has three main goals: (i) Conducting radio follow-up observations of neutron star - neutron star and neutron star - black hole systems discovered by ground-based gravitational wave detectors to constrain the physics of their ejecta and the nature of their remnants; (ii) Shedding light on the the similarities and differences between two types of stellar explosions: gamma-ray bursts and stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae; (iii) Exploring future multi-messenger observing scenarios with the next generation Very Large Array radio telescope and ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. Mergers of neutron stars in binary systems observed through multiple messengers offer a unique opportunity to answer key open questions in a variety of fields, including gravitational and nuclear physics, relativistic astrophysics, and cosmology. Studying how neutron stars and black holes form and evolve, when isolated or paired in binaries, can shed light on the yet-to-be-understood diverse paths that bring massive stars toward their violent deaths, enriching the universe with its heaviest elements. Characterizing the properties of powerful blasts and ejecta from binary neutron star mergers and massive star collapses can give us invaluable information on particle acceleration mechanisms, magnetic field amplification, and the nature of the central engines powering the most relativistic cosmic jets. Unveiling the remnants of binary neutron star coalescences can constrain the equation of state of nuclear matter, providing a fundamental physics test. This award 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.

GW170817 是天文学家给两颗中子星合并起的名字，这两个中子星通过其引力波警报、相关的伽马射线爆发以及所有波长的光的辉光见证了这一过程。 这一发现标志着时域多信使天文学黄金时代的开始。德克萨斯理工大学的一个研究小组将利用无线电观测来研究多信使瞬变的物理学。虽然该小组帮助塑造多信使天文学的前进道路，但它还将开展旨在培养下一代科学家的教育和外展活动。其中包括通过射电天文数据成像和分析实验室（RADIAL）对学生进行计算和数据分析方面的培训，该实验室是国家射电天文台与十四个少数民族服务高等教育机构之间的合作伙伴关系，并赞助年度公共布西杰出讲座，以进一步推动鼓励公众和当地少数民族参与 STEM。该项目有三个主要目标：（i）对地基引力波探测器发现的中子星-中子星和中子星-黑洞系统进行无线电跟踪观测，以约束其喷射物的物理性质及其残余物的性质; (ii) 阐明两种类型的恒星爆炸之间的异同：伽马射线暴和剥壳核塌陷超新星； (iii) 利用下一代甚大阵列射电望远镜和地面引力波探测器探索未来的多信使观测场景。通过多个信使观测到的双星系统中的中子星合并提供了一个独特的机会来回答各个领域的关键开放问题，包括引力和核物理、相对论天体物理学和宇宙学。研究中子星和黑洞在双星中孤立或配对时如何形成和演化，可以揭示尚未被理解的多种路径，这些路径使大质量恒星走向暴力死亡，从而用最重的元素丰富了宇宙。表征双中子星合并和大质量恒星塌缩产生的强大爆炸和喷射物的特性，可以为我们提供有关粒子加速机制、磁场放大以及为相对论性最强的宇宙喷流提供动力的中央发动机性质的宝贵信息。揭示双中子星聚结的残余物可以约束核物质的状态方程，提供基本的物理测试。该奖项推进了“宇宙之窗”大创意的目标。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。