Parallel sessions

The study of the time variable electromagnetic and multi-messenger sky is one of the most active areas in modern astronomy. Transient objects such as novae, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts probe extreme physical environments, and the advent of gravitational wave and neutrino astronomy provides new messengers as tools to better understand the Universe. As we approach a new era in transient astronomy, with engineering first light for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (LSST) expected later this year, the vast discovery potential for this and other telescopes will be complemented by new facilities and missions, such as the Einstein Probe, SVOM, and CTA at high energies, and SKA at radio wavelengths. These facilities will probe the time variable sky and discover electromagnetic counterparts of multi-messenger events such as the merger of binary neutron stars as in GW170817, as well as fast evolving and unusual transients like AT2018cow. The search for and classification of transients presents a unique set of challenges for astronomers, and several new and novel techniques have been developed to more efficiently search for and/or classify objects. Theoretical models and predictions have been developed to explore the behaviour of transients, with the understanding of both jet structure and kilonova emission being an area which has advanced particularly rapidly in the years following the detection of the electromagnetic counterparts to GW170817. Additionally, the diversity of potential counterparts, the physical mechanisms responsible, and the source populations are all active areas of investigation. In turn these advances in theory are motivating observational strategies and have wide-ranging astrophysical implications.

In this session we will discuss new results in transient and multi-messenger astronomy and astrophysics (observations and theory), as well as the tools and techniques developed/needed to address the challenges of this new time-domain era. Talks are welcome from a broad-range of transient astronomy and astrophysics related fields: these include the software, instrumentation and techniques developed for the new challenges of transient astronomy; the observations of, and search for transients related to multi-messenger events, GRBs, supernovae, novae, AGN, TDEs, Gaia transients, and fast radio bursts; and population studies, electromagnetic counterparts predictions, and the theory for the physical processes at work in these extreme environments.

Schedule:

Session 1
13:00 Tanmoy Laskar “Extreme astrophysics with relativistic transients”
13:30 Fergus Hayes “Constraining and comparing short gamma-ray burst beam profiles using gravitational waves”
13:45 Amy Knight “Eclipse Mapping of the Neutron Star X-ray Binary EXO 0784-676 - A Spider Pulsar Progenitor?”
14:00 Michael Healy “Searching for Nova Super-Remnants”
14:15 Andrew Mummery “A unified model of disc dominated tidal destruction events”

Session 2
16:00 Valeriya Korol “Prospects for multi-messenger studies of the Milky Way”
16:30 Konstantinos N. Gourgouliatos “Coupled Pulsar Magnetospheres”
16:45 Lauren Rhodes “Two-component jet observed in the afterglow of MAGIC GRB 201216C”
17:00 Samantha Oates “Swift/UVOT follow-up of Gravitational Wave Alerts in the O3 era”
17:15 Matt Nicholl “Tight multi-messenger constraints on the neutron star equation of state from GW170817 and a forward model for kilonova light curve synthesis”