Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the brightest explosions in the Universe, shine millions of times brighter than supernovae, and are produced by highly relativistic outflows. Their study directly and indirectly addresses some of the most exciting questions in astrophysics, including the deaths of massive stars, black hole and accretion physics, cosmic particle accelerators, and neutrino and gravitational wave emission. The extreme brightness of GRBs also makes them ideal probes of the infant Universe, for systematic studies of the growth of elements as the Universe aged. This project will continue a collaboration between a university and a research center to obtain crucial enabling observations of GRBs using ground-based facilities, along with an integrated theory effort to continue development of physical diagnostics.
The Caltech group has recently expended significant effort developing a robotic GRB follow-up capability at the Palomar 60-inch telescope. This effort provides a mechanism to train students in instrumentation, and to integrate them into the research. The project will also include outreach to under-represented groups, through the Palomar visitor center and the Native American communities that ring that mountain, and to a wider community through continuing involvement of the team with the media.
