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Hunting for the electro-magnetic counterpart to gravitational waves
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Cutter, Ryan J. (2021) Hunting for the electro-magnetic counterpart to gravitational waves. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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WRAP_Theses_Cutter_2021.pdf - Submitted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (40Mb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3678531
Abstract
The detection of GW170817, the first known binary neutron star merger, ushered in the era of multi-messenger astronomy. The Gravitational-Wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO) is a new multi-camera instrument designed to cover large gravitational-wave localisation regions quickly, with the aim of identifying gravitational-wave counterparts quickly. This thesis covers the deployment of GOTO and the technical development of an automatic focus script, a real-time image subtraction pipeline, and a machine learner all with the aims of finding and announcing transients in real-time. The methods developed here can be used in other highcadence optical surveys. The thesis is motivated in the introduction, summarising the history of gravitational-wave astronomy and the importance of finding counterparts. GOTO is introduced properly in the methodology section. Here, I explain how GOTO is built and optimised for rapid transient discovery. From there, I show the development of an automatic focus script that exploits source geometry to quickly achieve focus. The following two chapters detail the the development of a new image-subtraction pipeline, which proves to be faster and better quality than the techniques currently used in the literature. Finally, I conclude this work using GOTO's first Gravitational-Wave follow-up campaign in compliment with the techniques developed in this thesis to find transients coincident with Gravitational- Wave detections. Showing GOTO is indeed capable and primed to find transients associated with gravitational-waves quickly.
| Item Type: | Thesis or Dissertation (PhD) | ||||
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| Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics |
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| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Gravitational waves, Gravitational waves -- Detection, Transients (Dynamics), Large astronomical telescopes, Astronomy -- Research, Astrophysics -- Research, Neutron stars | ||||
| Official Date: | 21 April 2021 | ||||
| Dates: |
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| Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
| Theses Department: | Department of Physics | ||||
| Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
| Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
| Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Steeghs, D. (Danny), 1972- | ||||
| Format of File: | |||||
| Extent: | xix, 234 leaves : illustrations | ||||
| Language: | eng |
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