Searching for multi-messenger sources – Tomás Ahumada Mena

The discoveries of multi-messenger sources have been watershed moments in the history of astrophysics. However, these searches have proven to be extremely challenging. Compact binary mergers, such as binary neutron stars and neutron star-black hole mergers, tend to have faint and fast fading optical counterparts. Moreover, when detected by LIGO/Virgo in gravitational-wave (GW) or through gamma-ray satellites, their typical localization region spans hundreds of square degrees. 

In the last few years, we have used the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), a 47sq. deg. camera mounted at the Palomar 48-inch telescope, to tile and search the coarse error regions of Fermi GBM short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) and LIGO/Virgo events. ZTF has served to bridge the gap for small FOV telescopes, circulating afterglow and kilonova candidates through ATels and GCNs. During these searches, ZTF discovered the shortest GRB associated to a collapsing massive star, the first GRB to challenge our current understanding of GRB progenitors. During this talk,  I will discuss the ongoing ZTF strategies to find GW counterparts and GRB afterglows, as well as the prospects of multi-messenger astronomy in the Rubin era.

Horarios: December 4, 2023 11:30

Publicado por: Claudia Aguilera