Parkes observations for project P883 semester 2015APRS_BPSR_01

Full description

Time-resolved astronomical surveys have unveiled some of the most extreme and exciting astrophysical processes known. At radio wavelengths, in the aftermaths of massive stellar explosions, cosmic fireballs suddenly appear and over months to years fade away. On millisecond timescales, Fast Radio Bursts of Jansky intensities are emitted at apparently cosmological distances, likely tied to cataclysmic events involving compact objects. Locally, stars from M-dwarfs to pulsars in our own Galaxy intermittently produce burps of emission. Exploiting the unique high time resolution capabilities and broad-band coverage of the Parkes telescope, we request 528 hours to search for transients on a wide range of timescales. We will use on-the-fly mapping and the dual-band 10cm/50cm system to simultaneously conduct the following surveys: (1) PARTY-FAST - a search for fast radio transients at 50 cm that will be of comparable efficiency to those currently conducted at 20 cm; and (2) PARTY-SLOW - a search for slow radio transients primarily conducted at 10cm. As a byproduct of PARTY-SLOW, we will also produce high-fidelity full-polarisation continuum maps at both frequencies (PARTY-MAP) of two 10 square degree fields of significant astrophysical interest. The PARTY survey will expand the population of known transient sources, answer key questions on the emission of Fast Radio Bursts, and will explore new territory in the radio transient parameter space.