Programma: PRIN
Responsabile scientifico per il dipartimento: Michele Ennio Maria Moresco
Struttura principale: DIFA
Data inizio e data fine: dall' 11/03/2019 all' 11/03/2025
Multi-Messenger Astronomy: onde gravitazionali e luce
Il progetto guida l’esplorazione elettromagnetica dei segnali GW da fusioni di stelle di neutroni, studiando kilonovae e afterglow con strumenti avanzati e formando esperti in astronomia multi-messaggera.
Multi-Messenger Astronomy: Gravitational Waves and Light
The project leads EM follow-up of GW signals from neutron star mergers, studying kilonovae and afterglows with advanced tools and training experts in multi-messenger astronomy.
Abstract
Ground-breaking discoveries following the detection of gravitational waves (GW) by advanced LIGO and Virgo on August 17 (GW170817) were brought to a large part by electromagnetic (EM) follow-up. Forthe first time, GW signal and photons were detected simultaneously from the merging of two neutron stars (NS). While GWs carried the history of the NS coalescence, photons demonstrated that the mergerof binary NS powers two most enigmatic EM transients, namely short gamma-ray bursts and kilonovae. Our team played a key role in observations and theoretical interpretation which led to the discovery ofthe optical/infrared kilonova and the (X-ray) afterglow. The forthcoming aLIGO/aVirgo runs will explore a larger volume of the Universe increasing the number of GW triggers by an order of magnitude.We want to exploit this rich harvest, to identify and follow up a sample of EM counterparts and to address crucial scientific questions of astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental physics. With currentinstruments we can detect kilonova and afterglow EM emissions for all the binary NS mergers within the current GW detectors horizon.We have the observing facilities, expertise and human resources to lead the EM exploration of the new promising field of Multi-Messenger Astronomy.