Radio Bursts and Gravity from Parsecs to Gigaparsecs

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

Rapid advances in computational capability have enabled dramatic advances in our understanding of the dynamic sky. Intensive searches though massive volumes of radio telescope data have revealed "fast radio bursts", highly energetic millisecond flashes of radio emission from far beyond our Galaxy. This research will deepen and broaden our understanding of these transient phenomena. Using advanced algorithms developed by this research, surveys by the Green Bank Telescope, Arecibo, and others will identify other burst sources, determine their origins, and use them as probes of their extreme environments and the intergalactic medium. The STEM abilities of graduate and undergraduate students will be increased through their involvement in the research. In addition, an inexpensive radio astronomy system capable of detecting celestial radio sources will be developed for tutorials and laboratory exercises for undergraduate and high school students. The proposed research will provide the observational basis to understand the origin of short duration radio transients such as Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), probe their population statistics and central engines, and investigate their use as probes of extreme host environments and the intergalactic medium. New algorithms will be developed for single pulse, transient, and pulsar searches, including the implementation of a "finding survey with follow-up" that is robust to selection effects and radio interference. A special area of focus is the Galactic center, where exotic binaries, transient sources, and possible local counterparts to the FRB population may be identified. 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.