CAREER: Navigating the Environments of the Universe’s Fastest Transients

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Fong and her group will characterize the host galaxy properties of short duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) and fast radio bursts (FRBs). SGRBs originate from neutron star mergers. The origin of FRBs is unknown, but they may be generated by highly magnetized young neutron stars, called magnetars. A uniform analysis of the host galaxy environments of these two populations will provide key insights into the nature of these transient sources. Dr. Fong and her group will lead the Thrive Program, which is a new educational partnership between Northwestern University and Movement Consulting. Monthly workshops will be held to develop the professional skills of female and under-represented minority (f-URM) undergraduate students interested in STEM, and a Leadership Conference will be offered to Chicago area f-URM graduate students. This project will increase the catalog of host galaxy properties by factors of 3 and 8 for SGRBs and FRBs, respectively. The observational data, the derived galaxy properties and the associated models for the approximately, 103 FRB and 65 SGRB host galaxies will be made publicly available in tailored repositories and on GitHub. The Thrive Program is expected to reach approximately, 150 undergraduates and 200 graduate students. The Thrive program products will be made available online to promote scalability and sustainability. 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.