Parkes observations for project P879 semester 2014OCTS02

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are millisecond bursts that are broadly evidenced to arise from extragalactic, but yet unknown, progenitors. They have presented a true mystery in that so far no progenitor theory can adequately account for their observed properties. We request observations that will glean basic information on FRB progenitors. Our observations will execute a specific test of whether FRBs originate in nearby galaxies. We have also designed our target field and time request to enable a thorough exploration of optical counterparts before, during, and after any detected FRB episode. Additionally, with a number depending on the typical distance to FRBs, our observations will raise the running list of total FRB discoveries by 10-60%.

快速射电暴（Fast Radio Bursts, FRBs）是一类持续时长仅为毫秒的射电暴信号，现有观测证据普遍表明其起源于河外星系，但其具体前身天体仍未明确。该现象至今仍是一道未解的天体物理谜题，截至目前尚无任何前身天体理论能够充分阐释其观测到的全部物理特性。我们申请开展针对性观测，以获取快速射电暴前身天体的基础研究信息；本次观测将专门开展一项检验实验，验证快速射电暴是否起源于近邻星系。我们同时优化设计了观测天区与观测时段方案，以实现在任意探测到的快速射电暴事件发生前、发生过程中及发生后，对其光学对应体进行全方位探索。此外，结合快速射电暴的典型距离尺度，本次观测将使已发现的快速射电暴总样本数提升10%至60%。