Parkes observations for project P879 semester 2015APRS08

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are millisecond bursts that are thought 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 seek ``direct'' optical FRB counterparts---emission coincident or just adjacent to the FRB in time---via a coordinated observing campaign with the Skymapper telescope. Our observations will also continue to execute a test of whether targeted observations are more effective than broad survey observations for discovering FRBs; this would be the case if FRBs originate in nearby galaxies. Any FRB detected by our survey will also gather polarisation data, providing critical further information to assess the nature and origin of these mysterious bursts.

快速射电暴（Fast Radio Bursts, FRBs）是一类毫秒级爆发现象，学界普遍认为其起源于河外星系，但具体前身天体仍未明确。这类爆发现象至今仍是未解谜题：尚无任何前身天体理论能够充分解释其观测特性。我们申请开展协同观测计划，借助斯凯迈珀望远镜（Skymapper）搜寻与快速射电暴在时间上重合或紧邻的“直接”光学对应体——即与快速射电暴同步或近乎同步的辐射信号。本次观测还将继续验证一项假说：若快速射电暴源自邻近星系，则靶向观测相较于广域巡天观测，将更易于发现快速射电暴。本巡天项目将为所有探测到的快速射电暴采集偏振数据，以此为解析这类神秘爆发现象的本质与起源提供关键补充信息。