The radio sky is filled with transient phenomena that yield wondrous mysteries and opportunities in astrophysics. Radio pulsars, rotating neutron stars that emit beamed radiation, serve as precise clocks for making high-precision measurements of many different astrophysical effects, including the detection of gravitational waves at nanohertz frequencies. On the other hand, millisecond-duration "fast radio bursts" (FRBs) represent the latest mystery in radio astronomy due their large energy output, spectro-temporal behavior and implied cosmological distances; the diverse landscape of available models shows that FRBs are truly enigmatic in their nature. In this talk, I will overview two computing backends recently built for the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) that enable blind FRB searches and long-term timing of radio pulsars. I will cover initial results of the CHIME/pulsar and CHIME/FRB projects, and discuss how current measurements made by both instruments are poised to produce considerable scientific impact in the coming years.
Speaker: Emmanuel Fonseca, McGill
Host: Christopher Berry
Keywords: Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics
Pamela Villalovoz
(847) 491-3644
Email