CAREER: Hearing and Seeing the Universe Through Multi-Messenger Astronomy

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This work will focus on the inspiral and merger of compact-object binaries, one of the most interesting and powerful of multi-messenger sources. Questions to be explored include how often these sources happen, how we might detect them (both in gravitational waves and electromagnetically), and what we will learn from them. Light will be shed on the inner engines of gamma-ray bursts (among the brightest events in the Universe), including elucidating the heart of these events (are they neutron star black hole binaries?) and the processes by which they happen (are the gamma-rays beamed?). In this way, the scientific potential of gravitational-wave astrophysics will be more fully realized. Gravitational waves are likely to be directly observed within the next five years, and will open an entirely new window on the Universe. We already see the Universe in optical light (e.g., with our eyes, or with the Hubble Space Telescope), in X-ray, in gamma-rays, in radio, in microwave, and across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Gravitational waves offer an entirely new way to the listen to the Universe. We've been searching for these waves for many decades, and within the next five years the LIGO instrument (based in Washington and Louisiana) will finally allow us to hear them! Fully exploiting this new window on the Universe will require multi-messenger astronomy: coordinated observations of sources in both the gravitational wave and electromagnetic spectra. This work will help develop our understanding of these multi-messenger sources. Gravitational-waves provide a natural "hook" into science, and are an excellent way to appeal to students of all ages. The history of gravitational waves is irresistible, with Einstein's original (and contentious) prediction finally on the verge of being directly confirmed. The waves are generated by black holes and gamma-ray bursts (representing some of the largest explosions in the Universe), and these sources are universally fascinating. The technology behind gravitational-wave detection is mind-blowing ("You can detect the surf crashing on the Oregon coast hundreds of miles away", "You can measure fractional changes in distance over 4 km to much smaller than the size of a proton"). The science content ranges from wave mechanics, through Newtonian gravity, interferometry, and wave optics, all the way to general relativity and quantum measurement. In short, we have a rich, timely, and fundamentally fascinating subject. We take a multi-pronged approach to share the excitement of the impending discovery of gravitational-waves, as well as to convey the science behind our research program to students and the broader public. We work directly with inner-city, minority high-school students in the South Chicago area. We are also partnering with a world-class museum, the Adler Planetarium, by presenting at the museum and helping to develop material on gravitational waves that will reach nearly half a million people a year, as well as leveraging existing educational material from LIGO. All of this will help share the excitement of a truly new way to listen to the Universe.