Grant: Discovery Launch Supplement

My proposed research program is to develop and utilize novel Canadian radio telescopes to perform ground-breaking research on transient phenomena in astronomy, such as Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs).  Astrophysical transients (transients) are sources that vary on human timescales (nano-seconds to years) that are detected across the electromagnetic spectrum by telescopes. Since transients change on rapid timescales it is believed they must come from some of the most extreme physical environments in the Universe. FRBs are probably the most exciting recently discovered transient. They are nano- to milli-second-long flashes of radio light of as-yet unknown origin that come from far outside of our Milky Way Galaxy. FRBs are both an exciting cosmic mystery and show great promise as probes of extreme physics and the structure of the cosmos. Because of their brevity and origins at extreme distances they must arise from the most highly magnetized and/or relativistic phenomena in the universe. They also carry with them a record of the matter between Earth and their sources through the effect of chromatic dispersion. Chromatic dispersion causes radio bursts to arrive at different times for different frequencies of radio light, and the amount of this time difference is directly related to the amount of electrons encountered between the signal's source and our planet. FRBs are thus powerful new probes of cosmic structure. My objectives are: (i) to uncover the nature of the physical engines that power FRBs, (ii) unlock the potential of FRBs as cosmic probes, and (iii) search for and discover other new fast transient phenomena. These objectives will be enabled by Canadian built instruments: the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) and the Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector (CHORD). CHIME has already revolutionized the FRB field by discovering thousands of such events (compared to dozens previously known). The next breakthroughs will come from CHIME/FRB Outriggers and CHORD. CHIME/FRB Outriggers will enable us to pinpoint the galaxies that FRBs come from leading to a profound advancement in understanding of the environments where FRBs live. CHORD will provide an order of magnitude larger discovery rate of FRBs and their host galaxies at even further distances from CHIME, thus propelling us into the age of FRBs as probes of cosmic structure. Results from my research will advance knowledge on transient astrophysical phenomena, especially FRBs. These advances can be used for further research in the field and my development of the novel software infrastructure that powers CHIME, its Outriggers and CHORD, will establish Canada as a global leader in this area. Additionally, I will provide training to students and others in my research program that will give them highly transferable technical skill sets which will benefit employment in Canada both in academia and industry.