Southern Horizons in Time-Domain Astronomy (IAU S339)

Demonstrates the state-of-the-art in time-domain astronomy, exploring astronomical variability over a broad range of scales.

Elizabeth R. Griffin (Edited by)

9781107192638, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 October 2019

378 pages
25.5 x 18 x 2 cm, 0.77 kg

'This volume clearly lays out the exciting future for time-domain astronomy, as well as the challenges that face the community if the science is to be extracted from the vast types and volume of data that will be available in years to come.' Dennis Crabtree, The Observatory

IAU Symposium 285, New Horizons in Time-Domain Astronomy, gave a comprehensive overview of the status quo in 2011, exploring, astronomical variability at both Galactic and extragalactic distances. Several years later, IAU Symposium 339 witnessed a new level of activity and planning, with ambitious instruments that add a new dimension to some of those current in 2011 and ingenious methodology in the emerging field of astroinformatics. Major new instruments, whose output dwarfs those previously available, and analysis techniques that could not have been implemented until very recently, are being coupled with a broadening diversity in wavelengths. IAU S339 introduces the rich potential for new techniques for both analysis and communication, while covering the basic fundamentals such as data quality, standardization and archive access. Many early-career scientists are already central players in these projects: time-domain astronomy is the future and in their hands may it flourish and grow.

Part I. New Developments in the Last Five Years: 1. First Results of the SkyMapper Transient Survey
2. The BVIT: from flare stars to the search for ET
3. Gaia Alerts – an all-sky transient survey
4. Probing galactic black holes with microlensing with Gaia and OGLE
5. Fast radio bursts: from multi-beam receivers to interferometers
6. The space-based photometry revolution
7. The space-based photometry revolution
8. Time-domain astroinformatics
Part II. Explosive Transients: 9. Fast radio transients: from pulsars to fast radio bursts
10. Forming the progenitors of explosive stellar transients
11. Discovering radio transients using 'triggered' and 'targeted' observations
12. Multi-wavelength jet studies in cataclysmic variables and super luminous Supernovæ
13. Early blue excess from the Type Ia Supernova 2017cbv
14. Understanding the Galaxy
15. The electromagnetic counterpart of the gravitational wave source GW170817
16. Recent results from a high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up survey of classical Novæ
17. A dust-enshrouded tidal disruption event in a luminous infared Galaxy
18. The High-Cadence Transient Survey (HiTS): early supernova light-curves
Part III. Long-Term and Stellar Variability: 18. Progress of the Chinese plate-digitizing project
19. Pulsation, rotation and flares in A stars
20. The K2 RR Lyrae Survey
21. Photometric variability of luminous blue variable stars on different time scales
22. The Hubble Catalog of Variables (HCV)
23. Variability, pulsations and mass loss of evolved stars
24. Measuring and decoding gravito-inertial modes in intermediate- and high-mass stars
25. Strong shear and high-amplitude activity cycle in a metal-rich solar analogue
26. Periodic variability on time-scales of decades to centuries in magnetic Ap stars: challenges and strategies
27. Monitoring period variations of variable stars using precise photometric surveys
Part IV. High Energy: 28. Time-domain studies with Astrosat
29. High-energy transients: thermonuclear (Type-I) X-Ray bursts
30. Transient X-ray binaries in the Magellanic Clouds and Milky Way
31. A new population of highly energetic nuclear transients
32. The deeper wider faster programme: chasing the fastest bursts in the universe
33. On the problem of standardization in time-domain photometry
34. Discovery and opportunity in the X-Ray time domain
35. X-Ray Transients observed with MAXI
36. X-Ray transients in the SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey
37. LMC X–4: different types of long-term variability
38. The future of AGN variability studies
Part V. Can Our Techniques Meet the Challenges?: 39. Recognition of rare and peculiar temporal phenomena from LSST alert streams
40. ANTARES: time-domain discovery in the Era of LSST
41. Life beyond PTF
42. Deep-learning the time domain
43. Time-domain instrumentation at ESO
44. The SALT transient programme
45. OCTOCAM – a new workhorse instrument for transient follow-up at Gemini-S
46. High-time-resolution astrophysics using the Thai 2.4-m Telescope with ULTRASPEC
47. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope: overview and update
48. The Trans-Neptunian Automated Occultation Survey (TAOS II)
49. TESS science and follow-up in the Southern Hemisphere
50. Unlocking the Universe with Astroinformatics
51. Challenges and opportunities for machine learning in time-domain astronomy
52. MeerLICHT: MeerKAT's Optical Eye
53. Symposium 339 summary
Workshop reports
Poster papers
Poster summaries
Author index.

Subject Areas: Astrophysics [PHVB], Astronomical observation: observatories, equipment & methods [PGG]