Skip to content Skip to navigation
University of Warwick
  • Study
  • |
  • Research
  • |
  • Business
  • |
  • Alumni
  • |
  • News
  • |
  • About

University of Warwick
Publications service & WRAP

Highlight your research

  • WRAP
    • Home
    • Search WRAP
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse WRAP by Year
    • Browse WRAP by Subject
    • Browse WRAP by Department
    • Browse WRAP by Funder
    • Browse Theses by Department
  • Publications Service
    • Home
    • Search Publications Service
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse Publications service by Year
    • Browse Publications service by Subject
    • Browse Publications service by Department
    • Browse Publications service by Funder
  • Help & Advice
University of Warwick

The Library

  • Login
  • Admin

Hunting for the electro-magnetic counterpart to gravitational waves

Tools
- Tools
+ Tools

Cutter, Ryan J. (2021) Hunting for the electro-magnetic counterpart to gravitational waves. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

[img]
Preview
PDF
WRAP_Theses_Cutter_2021.pdf - Submitted Version - Requires a PDF viewer.

Download (40Mb) | Preview
Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3678531

Request Changes to record.

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)
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Q Science > QC Physics
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:
DateEvent
21 April 2021UNSPECIFIED
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: pdf
Extent: xix, 234 leaves : illustrations
Language: eng

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics

twitter

Email us: wrap@warwick.ac.uk
Contact Details
About Us