Speaker
Description
Historically, radio telescopes have been used follow-up observations of transients identified in other wavelengths, such as supernovae, X-ray binaries, novae, and gamma-ray bursts. These events have traditionally been first detected in the X-ray or optical regimes before their radio counterparts were studied. However, with the advent of next-generation radio telescopes such as MeerKAT, the Very Large Array (VLA), and LOFAR, the study of the time-domain radio sky is changing.
The new capabilities of these radio observatories allow for the detection of transients directly at radio wavelengths, expanding the variety of known transient phenomena. The temporal behavior of radio transients spans a wide range, from sub-second bursts—like those from pulsars and Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs)—to gradual changes over months or years seen in thermonuclear eruptions.
The MeerKAT telescope, with its excellent sensitivity and field-of-view, combined with data-processing pipelines like the LOFAR Transient Pipeline (TraP), allows for systematic searches for transients directly in the image domain. This has enables astronomers to uncover new classes of radio emitters and enhance our understanding of known sources. In this talk, I will share the findings from a transient search conducted in one of the MeerKAT telescope fields.
| Stream | Science |
|---|