Publications (53)
First demonstration of early warning gravitational wave alerts
Ryan Magee, Deep Chatterjee, Leo P. Singer +33
Gravitational-wave observations became commonplace in Advanced LIGO-Virgo's recently concluded third observing run. 56 non-retracted candidates were identified and publicly announc…
The Needle in the 100 deg2 Haystack: Uncovering Afterglows of Fermi GRBs with the Palomar Transient Factory
Leo P. Singer, Mansi M. Kasliwal, S. Bradley Cenko +32
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has greatly expanded the number and energy window of observations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). However, the coarse localizations of tens to a hun…
In search of short gamma-ray burst optical counterpart with the Zwicky Transient Facility
Tomás Ahumada, Shreya Anand, Michael W. Coughlin +46
The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) triggers on-board in response to 40 short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) per year; however, their large localization regions have made the…
HEALPix Alchemy: Fast All-Sky Geometry and Image Arithmetic in a Relational Database for Multimessenger Astronomy Brokers
Leo P. Singer, B. Parazin, Michael W. Coughlin +4
Efficient searches for electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave, high-energy neutrino, and gamma-ray burst events demand rapid processing of image arithmetic and geometry…
Dynamic Scheduling: Target of Opportunity Observations of Gravitational Wave Events
Mouza Almualla, Michael W. Coughlin, Shreya Anand +3
The simultaneous detection of electromagnetic and gravitational waves from the coalescence of two neutron stars (GW170817 and GRB170817A) has ushered in a new era of "multi-messeng…
LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA neutron star merger candidate S250206dm: Zwicky Transient Facility observations
Tomás Ahumada, Shreya Anand, Mattia Bulla +49
We present the searches conducted with the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) in response to S250206dm, a bona fide event with a false alarm rate of one in 25 years, detected by the I…
Enabling Kilonova Science with Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Igor Andreoni, Michael W. Coughlin, Alexander W. Criswell +16
Binary neutron star mergers and neutron star-black hole mergers are multi-messenger sources that can be detected in gravitational waves and in electromagnetic radiation. The low el…
Target of Opportunity Observations of Gravitational Wave Events with Vera C. Rubin Observatory
Igor Andreoni, Raffaella Margutti, Om Sharan Salafia +52
The discovery of the electromagnetic counterpart to the binary neutron star merger GW170817 has opened the era of gravitational-wave multi-messenger astronomy. Rapid identification…
Updated observing scenarios and multi-messenger implications for the International Gravitational-wave Network's O4 and O5
R. Weizmann Kiendrebeogo, Amanda M. Farah, Emily M. Foley +14
An advanced LIGO and Virgo's third observing run brought another binary neutron star merger (BNS) and the first neutron-star black hole mergers. While no confirmed kilonovae were i…
A tidal disruption event coincident with a high-energy neutrino
Robert Stein, Sjoert van Velzen, Marek Kowalski +55
Cosmic neutrinos provide a unique window into the otherwise-hidden mechanism of particle acceleration in astrophysical objects. A flux of high-energy neutrinos was discovered in 20…
DECam-GROWTH Search for the Faint and Distant Binary Neutron Star and Neutron Star-Black Hole Mergers in O3a
Shreya Anand, Igor Andreoni, Daniel A. Goldstein +10
Synoptic searches for the optical counterpart to a binary neutron star (BNS) or neutron star-black hole (NSBH) merger can pose significant challenges towards the discovery of kilon…
Localization of Binary Black-Hole Mergers with Known Inclination
K. Rainer Corley, Imre Bartos, Leo P. Singer +6
The localization of stellar-mass binary black hole mergers using gravitational waves is critical in understanding the properties of the binaries' host galaxies, observing possible…
Science with the Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX)
S. R. Kulkarni, Fiona A. Harrison, Brian W. Grefenstette +53
UVEX is a proposed medium class Explorer mission designed to provide crucial missing capabilities that will address objectives central to a broad range of modern astrophysics. The…
Inferring kilonova population properties with a hierarchical Bayesian framework I : Non-detection methodology and single-event analyses
Siddharth R. Mohite, Priyadarshini Rajkumar, Shreya Anand +17
We present : a hierarchical Bayesian framework to infer the intrinsic luminosity parameters of kilonovae (KNe) associated with gravitational-wave (GW) events, based…
The Zwicky Transient Facility: Science Objectives
Matthew J. Graham, S. R. Kulkarni, Eric C. Bellm +114
The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), a public-private enterprise, is a new time domain survey employing a dedicated camera on the Palomar 48-inch Schmidt telescope with a 47 deg$^2…
Discovery and redshift of an optical afterglow in 71 square degrees: iPTF13bxl and GRB 130702A
Leo P. Singer, S. Bradley Cenko, Mansi M. Kasliwal +20
We report the discovery of the optical afterglow of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 130702A, identified upon searching 71 square degrees surrounding the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GB…
Electromagnetic Follow-up to Gravitational Wave Events with the UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX)
Alexander W. Criswell, Sydney C. Leggio, Michael W. Coughlin +9
The Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) is expected to fly in 2030 and will have the opportunity -- and the rapid near/far ultraviolet (UV) capabilities -- to glean unprecedented insight i…
GROWTH on S190510g: DECam Observation Planning and Follow-Up of a Distant Binary Neutron Star Merger Candidate
Igor Andreoni, Daniel A. Goldstein, Shreya Anand +23
The first two months of the third Advanced LIGO and Virgo observing run (2019 April-May) showed that distant gravitational wave (GW) events can now be readily detected. Three candi…
Machine Learning for the Zwicky Transient Facility
Ashish Mahabal, Umaa Rebbapragada, Richard Walters +47
The Zwicky Transient Facility is a large optical survey in multiple filters producing hundreds of thousands of transient alerts per night. We describe here various machine learning…
The needle in the hundred square degree haystack: The hunt for binary neutron star mergers with LIGO and Palomar Transient Factory
Leo P. Singer
The Advanced LIGO and Virgo experiments are poised to detect gravitational waves (GWs) directly for the first time this decade. The ultimate prize will be joint observation of a co…
ZTF20aajnksq (AT2020blt): A Fast Optical Transient at With No Detected Gamma-Ray Burst Counterpart
Anna Y. Q. Ho, Daniel A. Perley, Paz Beniamini +27
We present ZTF20aajnksq (AT2020blt), a fast-fading ( mag in days) red ( mag) and luminous () optical transient at discover…
Parameter estimation for binary neutron-star coalescences with realistic noise during the Advanced LIGO era
Christopher P. L. Berry, Ilya Mandel, Hannah Middleton +15
Advanced ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) detectors begin operation imminently. Their intended goal is not only to make the first direct detection of GWs, but also to make infe…
Discovery and confirmation of the shortest gamma ray burst from a collapsar
Tomas Ahumada, Leo P. Singer, Shreya Anand +54
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the brightest and most energetic events in the universe. The duration and hardness distribution of GRBs has two clusters, now understood to reflec…
GROWTH on S190425z: Searching thousands of square degrees to identify an optical or infrared counterpart to a binary neutron star merger with the Zwicky Transient Facility and Palomar Gattini IR
Michael W. Coughlin, Tomás Ahumada, Shreya Anand +76
The third observing run by LVC has brought the discovery of many compact binary coalescences. Following the detection of the first binary neutron star merger in this run (LIGO/Virg…
The NASA Multi-Messenger Astrophysics Science Support Center (MOSSAIC)
Rita M. Sambruna, Joshua E. Schlieder, Daniel Kocevski +10
The era of multi-messenger astrophysics has arrived, leading to key new discoveries and revealing a need for coordination, collaboration, and communication between world-wide commu…
Optical follow-up of the neutron star-black hole mergers S200105ae and S200115j
Shreya Anand, Michael W. Coughlin, Mansi M. Kasliwal +46
LIGO and Virgo's third observing run (O3) revealed the first neutron star-black hole (NSBH) merger candidates in gravitational waves. These events are predicted to synthesize r-pro…
Searching for gravitational wave optical counterparts with the Zwicky Transient Facility: summary of O4a
Tomás Ahumada, Shreya Anand, Michael W. Coughlin +49
During the first half of the fourth observing run (O4a) of the International Gravitational Wave Network (IGWN), the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) conducted a systematic search fo…
A strategy for LSST to unveil a population of kilonovae without gravitational-wave triggers
Igor Andreoni, Shreya Anand, Federica B. Bianco +10
We present a cadence optimization strategy to unveil a large population of kilonovae using optical imaging alone. These transients are generated during binary neutron star and pote…
The Two LIGO/Virgo Binary Black Hole Mergers on 2019 August 28 Were Not Strongly Lensed
Leo P. Singer, Daniel A. Goldstein, Joshua S. Bloom
The LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave events S190828j and S190828l were detected only 21 minutes apart, from nearby regions of sky, and with the same source classifications (binary bla…
Multi-Resolution HEALPix Maps for Multi-Wavelength and Multi-Messenger Astronomy
I. Martinez-Castellanos, Leo P. Singer, E. Burns +4
HEALPix -- the Hierarchical Equal Area isoLatitude Pixelization -- has become a standard in high-energy and gravitational wave astronomy. Originally developed to improve the effici…
A data science platform to enable time-domain astronomy
Michael W. Coughlin, Joshua S. Bloom, Guy Nir +50
SkyPortal is an open-source software package designed to efficiently discover interesting transients, manage follow-up, perform characterization, and visualize the results. By enab…
Rapid Bayesian position reconstruction for gravitational-wave transients
Leo P. Singer, Larry R. Price
Within the next few years, Advanced LIGO and Virgo should detect gravitational waves from binary neutron star and neutron star-black hole mergers. These sources are also predicted…
Candidate Tidal Disruption Event AT2019fdr Coincident with a High-Energy Neutrino
Simeon Reusch, Robert Stein, Marek Kowalski +46
The origins of the high-energy cosmic neutrino flux remain largely unknown. Recently, one high-energy neutrino was associated with a tidal disruption event (TDE). Here we present A…
Fast-transient Searches in Real Time with ZTFReST: Identification of Three Optically-discovered Gamma-ray Burst Afterglows and New Constraints on the Kilonova Rate
Igor Andreoni, Michael W. Coughlin, Erik C. Kool +32
While optical surveys regularly discover slow transients like supernovae on their own, the most common way to discover extragalactic fast transients, fading away in a few nights, i…
2900 square degree search for the optical counterpart of short gamma-ray burst GRB 180523B with the Zwicky Transient Facility
Michael W. Coughlin, Tomas Ahumada, S. Bradley Cenko +31
There is significant interest in the models for production of short gamma-ray bursts. Until now, the number of known short gamma-ray bursts with multi-wavelength afterglows has bee…
The First Two Years of Electromagnetic Follow-Up with Advanced LIGO and Virgo
Leo P. Singer, Larry R. Price, Ben Farr +13
We anticipate the first direct detections of gravitational waves (GWs) with Advanced LIGO and Virgo later this decade. Though this groundbreaking technical achievement will be its…
Optimal Follow-Up of Gravitational-Wave Events with the UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX)
Leo P. Singer, Alexander W. Criswell, Sydney C. Leggio +10
The UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX) is a wide-field ultraviolet space telescope selected as a NASA Medium-Class Explorer (MIDEX) mission for launch in 2030. UVEX will undertake deep, c…
Low-latency gravitational wave alert products and their performance at the time of the fourth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing run
Sushant Sharma Chaudhary, Andrew Toivonen, Gaurav Waratkar +50
Multi-messenger searches for BNS and NSBH mergers are currently one of the most exciting areas of astronomy. The search for joint electromagnetic and neutrino counterparts to GWs h…
The Astropy Project: Sustaining and Growing a Community-oriented Open-source Project and the Latest Major Release (v5.0) of the Core Package
The Astropy Collaboration, Adrian M. Price-Whelan, Pey Lian Lim +133
The Astropy Project supports and fosters the development of open-source and openly-developed Python packages that provide commonly needed functionality to the astronomical communit…
Galaxy Strategy for LIGO-Virgo Gravitational Wave Counterpart Searches
Neil Gehrels, John K. Cannizzo, Jonah Kanner +3
In this work we continue a line of inquiry begun in Kanner et al. which detailed a strategy for utilizing telescopes with narrow fields of view, such as the Swift X-ray Telescope (…
Swiftly chasing gravitational waves across the sky in real-time
Aaron Tohuvavohu, Jamie A. Kennea, Christopher J. Roberts +8
We introduce a new capability of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, dubbed `continuous commanding,' achieving 10 seconds latency response time on-orbit to unscheduled Target of Op…
The Zwicky Transient Facility: System Overview, Performance, and First Results
Eric C. Bellm, Shrinivas R. Kulkarni, Matthew J. Graham +112
The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a new optical time-domain survey that uses the Palomar 48-inch Schmidt telescope. A custom-built wide-field camera provides a 47 deg fiel…
Optimizing Serendipitous Detections of Kilonovae: Cadence and Filter Selection
Mouza Almualla, Shreya Anand, Michael W. Coughlin +9
The rise of multi-messenger astronomy has brought with it the need to exploit all available data streams and learn more about the astrophysical objects that fall within its breadth…
Prospects of Gravitational Wave Follow-up Through a Wide-field Ultra-violet Satellite: a Dorado Case Study
Bas Dorsman, Geert Raaijmakers, S. Bradley Cenko +8
The detection of gravitational waves from binary neuron star merger GW170817 and electromagnetic counterparts GRB170817 and AT2017gfo kick-started the field of gravitational wave m…
Data-driven expectations for electromagnetic counterpart searches based on LIGO/Virgo public alerts
Polina Petrov, Leo P. Singer, Michael W. Coughlin +7
Searches for electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational-wave signals have redoubled since the first detection in 2017 of a binary neutron star merger with a gamma-ray burst, opt…
Foraging with MUSHROOMS: A Mixed-Integer Linear Programming Scheduler for Multimessenger Target of Opportunity Searches with the Zwicky Transient Facility
B. Parazin, Michael W. Coughlin, Leo P. Singer +2
Electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational wave detections is very resource intensive, taking up hours of limited observation time on dozens of telescopes. Creating more efficient…
GROWTH on S190426c. II. Real-Time Search for a Counterpart to the Probable Neutron Star-Black Hole Merger using an Automated Difference Imaging Pipeline for DECam
Daniel A. Goldstein, Igor Andreoni, Peter E. Nugent +17
The discovery of a transient kilonova following the gravitational-wave event GW170817 highlighted the critical need for coordinated rapid and wide-field observations, inference, an…
Parameter estimation on gravitational waves from neutron-star binaries with spinning components
Ben Farr, Christopher P. L. Berry, Will M. Farr +14
Inspiraling binary neutron stars are expected to be one of the most significant sources of gravitational-wave signals for the new generation of advanced ground-based detectors. We…
Optimizing Cadences with Realistic Light Curve Filtering for Serendipitous Kilonova Discovery with Vera Rubin Observatory
Igor Andreoni, Michael W. Coughlin, Mouza Almualla +11
Current and future optical and near-infrared wide-field surveys have the potential of finding kilonovae, the optical and infrared counterparts to neutron star mergers, independentl…
astroquery: An Astronomical Web-Querying Package in Python
Adam Ginsburg, Brigitta M. SipÅcz, C. E. Brasseur +21
astroquery is a collection of tools for requesting data from databases hosted on remote servers with interfaces exposed on the internet, including those with web pages but without…
Large Language Model-driven Analysis of General Coordinates Network (GCN) Circulars
Vidushi Sharma, Ronit Agarwala, Judith L. Racusin +9
The General Coordinates Network (GCN) is NASA's time-domain and multimessenger alert system. GCN distributes two data products: automated "Notices" and human-generated "Circulars"…
LUMOS : Linear programming Utility for Multi-messenger Optical Scheduling
Yogesh P. Wagh, Michael W. Coughlin, Leo P. Singer +1
The detection of gravitational-wave events by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA has opened new avenues for multi-messenger astrophysics; however, electromagnetic counterparts remain elusive due to…
Kilonova Luminosity Function Constraints based on Zwicky Transient Facility Searches for 13 Neutron Star Mergers
Mansi M. Kasliwal, Shreya Anand, Tomas Ahumada +100
We present a systematic search for optical counterparts to 13 gravitational wave (GW) triggers involving at least one neutron star during LIGO/Virgo's third observing run. We searc…