DRF: Thesis SL-DRF-17-0325 - instn

DRF: Thesis SL-DRF-17-0325
RESEARCH FIELD
Astrophysics / Corpuscular physics and outer space
TITLE
The transient Universe with MeerKAT
ABSTRACT
In 2017, a novel Observatory will come online. The South African SKA Project is currently building MeerKAT, a precursor radio telescope
to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). MeerKAT will consist of an array of 64 antennas and will be the most sensitive cm-radio telescope in
the southern hemisphere. MeerKAT will be incorporated into the SKA1-MID component of the SKA around 2020, when the SKA1-MID
array will be extended to around 200 antennas spread over a maximum baseline of 150 km.
Several MeerKAT Large Survey Projects (MLSPs) were selected in areas of key scientific interest closely related to the SKA science case.
ThunderKAT is the MeerKAT LSP for image-domain (explosive) radio transients. A nominal 3000 h of time have been awarded to
ThunderKAT over a 5 year period (2017-2021) of MeerKAT science operation. In addition, ThunderKAT will have commensal data access
to all MeerKAT LSPs to search for synchrotron radio transients in real-time, effectively increasing the discovery-space of rare radio
transients by a factor of 10.
ThunderKAT on MeerKAT will tackle all aspects of transient emission associated with accretion and explosive events. Through a
comprehensive and complementary programme of surveying and monitoring Galactic synchrotron transients (across a range of compact
accretors and a range of other explosive phenomena) and exploring distinct populations of extragalactic synchrotron transients
(microquasars, supernovae and possibly yet unknown transient phenomena) – both from direct surveys and commensal observations –
we will revolutionise our understanding of the dynamic and explosive transient radio sky.
LOCATION
Institut de recherche sur les lois fondamentales de l'univers
Service d'Astrophysique
Laboratoire d'Etudes des Phénomènes Cosmiques de Haute Energie
Place: Saclay
Start date of the thesis: 01/09/2017
CONTACT PERSON
Stéphane CORBEL
Université Paris 7
DRF/IRFU/SAP/LEPCHE
CEA/Saclay
Service d'astrophysique
91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex
Phone number: +33 1 69 08 45 62
Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives
Institut national des sciences et techniques nucléaires
www­instn.cea.fr
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Email: [email protected]
UNIVERSITY / GRADUATE SCHOOL
Paris-Diderot (Paris 7)
Science de la Terre et de l'Environnement et Physique de l'Univers Paris (STEPUP)
FIND OUT MORE
http://www.ast.uct.ac.za/thunderkat
THESIS SUPERVISOR
Stéphane CORBEL
Université Paris 7
DRF/IRFU/SAP/LEPCHE
CEA/Saclay
Service d'astrophysique
91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex
Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives
Institut national des sciences et techniques nucléaires
www­instn.cea.fr
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