| NSF Org: |
AST Division Of Astronomical Sciences |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | September 21, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 21, 2010 |
| Award Number: | 1008353 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Nigel Sharp
nsharp@nsf.gov (703)292-4905 AST Division Of Astronomical Sciences MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2010 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2014 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $292,368.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $292,368.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3203 N DOWNER AVE # 273 MILWAUKEE WI US 53211-3153 (414)229-4853 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
3203 N DOWNER AVE # 273 MILWAUKEE WI US 53211-3153 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | EXTRAGALACTIC ASTRON & COSMOLO |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
AST-1008213/1008353/1009421
Chatterjee/Kaplan/Bower
Studies of the time-variable sky at various wavelengths have revealed a vast range of unexpected phenomena, some of which have had enormous scientific impact, such as radio pulsars and gamma-ray bursters. At radio wavelengths, large-scale and sensitive examinations have been lacking, and large regions of discovery space remain unexplored. This project will detect and characterize transient and variable sources in the archival record of the Very Large Array (VLA), a large existing resource spanning 30 years, obtained with the most sensitive interferometric telescope in operation today. The algorithms, software pipelines, and expertise developed in the process will be applied to new observations with the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA), and they will provide an algorithmic portal to the next generation of wide-field, high sensitivity surveys with new telescopes. The university collaboration will work with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory to (i) develop and deploy automated software pipelines on local copies of the VLA archive, (ii) construct algorithms to detect and classify transient and variable radio sources in the archive, (iii) conduct multi-wavelength follow-up observations of sources of interest, and (iv) develop a statistical description and a deeper understanding of the physical processes underlying the radio transient sky. This study will find many new examples of known classes of transient sources, allowing for quantitative analysis, and is likely to discover as-yet-unknown source classes, thus building to a fuller characterization and deeper physical understanding of the dynamic radio sky. The target population includes at least brown dwarfs, low mass stars, nearby extra-solar Jovian planets, neutron stars, X-ray binaries, micro-quasars, radio supernovae and orphan radio afterglows of hidden gamma-ray bursts.
The next generation of radio telescopes is now under construction or development, promising a quantum leap in sky coverage, sensitivity, and data rates. By developing, testing, and deploying algorithms and software pipelines on archival data, this research is an essential step toward handling those new large surveys, especially since it will test the operation of software pipelines in real-time radio astronomy applications. It will also train graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in this burgeoning field, and involve undergraduate students in hands-on research. Outreach activities with high school students and the general public will show how the 'unchanging' heavens are in fact dynamic, full of upheaval, violence, and mystery.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
Note:
When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external
site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a
charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from
this site.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This grant supported examination of the archive of the Very Large Array for radio transients. It looks toward real-time transient monitoring with the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA), and is developing population models for upcoming surveys with the next generation of telescopes such as the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). We have developed the pipeline software (involving two undergraduates) and are now pursuing data analysis on field of interests. We have also worked on understanding models for source populations, and followed-up individual gamma-ray bursts and supernovae with a number of radio telescopes. Work from this project has informed design of the Variables and Slow Transients (VAST) survey with ASKAP, and helped to optimize strategies for localization of gravitational wave sources with Advanced LIGO.
This work directly supported the PI's involvement with the UWM Astronomy Club, where he co-advised a group of undergraduates in weekly meetings todiscuss astronomical research. This involved radio astronomytutorials and lab experiments, along with more in-depth investigationof topics of interest (many prepared by the students themselves). The PI led trips to Yerkes Observatory, Adler Planetarium, and Fermilab, along with Green Bank Observatory. Separately, two undergraduates were involved in the research discussed above. After detailed investigation of radio interferometry, they were responsible for helping to test and develop the imaging pipeline. One of these students went on to found a 3D printing company and has cited his research experience as a key factor inexpanding his technical abilities. The other started graduate school in Physics in Fall 2013.
Last Modified: 12/01/2014
Modified by: David L Kaplan
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
