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High Time Resolution Astrophysics Network

Andy Shearer

Centre for Astronomy

School of Physics, NUI, Galway

Ireland

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special thanks to

Don Phelan, NUI, Galway taking over network administration coordinating

the two workshops editing the two volumes of proceedings annual meetings

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Background - rationale for the network Are there special HTRA requirements?

detectors high quantum efficiency photon counting low (zero?) read-out noise APDs, EMCCD, PNCCDs, Transition Edge Sensors,

superconducting tunnel diodes wide wavelength range UV-IR

instruments spectroscopy : Ultraspec photometry : Ultracam, Optima, S-CAM polarimetry : Optima, GASP very short time scales (t < 10-7 s): Quanteye, GASP

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Key Deliverables & Objectives in FP6

Key Objective “…will bring together the expertise of different teams which have

so far developed HTRA independently..”

Key Deliverables Report on the state-of-the-art in HTRA International Conference

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Activity

Workshop held in June, 2006 at NUI, Galway, Ireland 20 invited experts Over 45 attendees 13 Countries represented Topics

Science, Instrumentation, Detectors, Software, Future Plans

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Report on the state-of-the-art in HTRA

High Time Resolution Astrophysics Springer-Verlag : Astrophysics &

Space Science Library (ASSL) ISBN 978-1-4020-6517-0 & 978-1-

4020-6518-7 Published August 2007 More info on the HTRA website at

http://astro.nuigalway.ie/htra

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International Conference held in Edinburgh in September 2007

“High Time Resolution Astrophysics: The Universe at sub-second timescales”

Royal Observatory Edinburgh over 3 days International Scientific Organising Committee Participants from 12 countries 39 papers presented Industrial sponsorship and endorsement of HTRA

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Network Deliverables

Proceedings Published 2008 ISBN 978-0-7354-0503-5

Network Communication Regular updates and discussions through mailing lists annual network meetings joint observing programmes and instrument development

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Summary

All Key Objectives and Deliverables completed in 2008

Real integration and restructuring of the HTRA community

International profile resulting from conferences and book publications

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Summary 2 - Science

Main science targets Binary systems

CVs X-ray binary system

Neutron stars Gamma ray Bursts AGN Transits Transients Flaring 2nd order correlations

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adapted from Ryan & Redfern, HTRA, ASSL, 351, 229see also Dhillon, same volume

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Future plans under FP7

Continuation of the network building upon our work under FP6 .... with the aim of formulating a comprehensive scientific

overview of HTRA into the extremely large telescopes [ELT] era......

primarily looking at HTRA science and instrument requirements

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adapted from Ryan & Redfern, HTRA, ASSL, 351, 229

ELT stochastic limits

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Pulsars - limit for HTRA - faint and fast

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* CTA 1 pulsar - FermiAbdo et al, 2008, science.1165572

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New radio quiet pulsars from Fermi results will need ELT follow-up

Predicted Pulsar Magnitudes

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

0.001 0.010 0.100 1.000 10.000

Period (s)

Predicted V Magnitude

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Future plans under FP7

Continuation of the network building upon our work under FP6 .... with the aim of formulating a comprehensive scientific overview of

HTRA into the extremely large telescopes [ELT] era...... first network meeting mid-February 2009, Padova also looking other funding

EU - Marie Curie and COST ERC funding industrial