The Dynamic Radio Sky: An Opportunity for Discovery

Authors: J. Lazio (NRL), J. S. Bloom (Berkeley), G. C. Bower (Berkeley), J. Cordes (Cornell, NAIC), S. Croft (Berkeley), S. Hyman (Sweet Briar), C. Law (Berkeley), M. McLaughlin (WVU)

(Submitted on 3 Apr 2009)

Abstract: The time domain of the sky has been only sparsely explored. Nevertheless, recent discoveries from limited surveys and serendipitous discoveries indicate that there is much to be found on timescales from nanoseconds to years and at wavelengths from meters to millimeters.

These observations have revealed unexpected phenomena such as rotating radio transients and coherent pulses from brown dwarfs. Additionally, archival studies have found not-yet identified radio transients without optical or high-energy hosts.

In addition to the known classes of radio transients, possible other classes of objects include extrapolations from known classes and exotica such as orphan gamma-ray burst afterglows, radio supernovae, tidally-disrupted stars, flare stars, magnetars, and transmissions from extraterrestrial civilizations.

Over the next decade, meter- and centimeter-wave radio telescopes with improved sensitivity, wider fields of view, and flexible digital signal processing will be able to explore radio transient parameter space more comprehensively and systematically.

Comments: Astro2010 Decadal Survey Science white paper

Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO); Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Galaxy Astrophysics (astro-ph.GA); High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)

Cite as: arXiv:0904.0633v1 [astro-ph.IM]

Submission history

From: Joseph Lazio [view email]

[v1] Fri, 3 Apr 2009 18:35:26 GMT (683kb,D)

http://arxiv.org/abs/0904.0633