Distributed architectures and constellations for γ-ray burst science

Investor logo

Warning

This publication doesn't include Faculty of Education. It includes Faculty of Science. Official publication website can be found on muni.cz.
Authors

FIORE Fabrizio WERNER Norbert BEHAR Ehud

Year of publication 2021
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Galaxies
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4434/9/4/120
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/galaxies9040120
Keywords gamma-ray burst; multi-messenger astrophysics; nano-satellites
Description The gravitational wave/?-ray burst GW/GRB170817 event marked the beginning of the era of multi-messenger astrophysics, in which new observations of Gravitational Waves (GW) are combined with traditional electromagnetic observations from the very same astrophysical source. In the next few years, Advanced LIGO/VIRGO and KAGRA in Japan and LIGO-India will reach their nominal/ultimate sensitivity. In the electromagnetic domain, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will come online in the next few years, and they will revolutionize the investigation of transient and variable cosmic sources in the optical and TeV bands. The operation of an efficient X-ray/?-ray all-sky monitor with good localisation capabilities will play a pivotal role in providing the high-energy counterparts of the GW interferometers and Rubin Observatory, bringing multi-messenger astrophysics to maturity. To reach the required precision in localisation and timeliness for an unpredictable physical event in time and space requires a sensor distribution covering the whole sky. We discuss the potential of large-scale, small-platform-distributed architectures and constellations to build a sensitive X-ray/?-ray all-sky monitor and the programmatic implications of this, including the set-up of an efficient assembly line for both hardware development and data analysis. We also discuss the potential of a constellation of small platforms operating at other wavelengths (UV/IR) that are capable of repointing quickly to follow-up high-energy transients.
Related projects:

You are running an old browser version. We recommend updating your browser to its latest version.