| Abstract: |
Many astrophysical transients occur on millisecond-to-hours timescales and at some or all wavelengths. Examples include fast radio bursts (FRBs), supernova shock breakouts, orphan GRBs, X-ray bursts, Type Ia supernova/companion star collisions, kilonovae, blitzars, and other exotic events, with many classes having either no detections or a few serendipitous observations to date. At some wavelengths, this fast time domain has remained essentially unexplored, largely a result of technological barriers. I will discuss our innovative Deeper, Wider, Faster (DWF) program that simultaneously coordinates deep, wide-field, fast-cadenced observations with radio through gamma-ray telescopes and particle detectors to gather all possible data before, during, and after the fast events before they quickly fade away. DWF performs real-time (seconds/minutes) data processing, analysis, and transient identification at all wavelengths to trigger rapid-response (in minutes) spectroscopy on 8m-class optical telescopes, radio telescopes, and space-based high-energy telescopes as part of the program. Finally, DWF coordinates a network of global telescopes to perform later-time observations, as some fast transients are associated with longer-duration events (e.g., supernova shock breakouts). DWF aims to characterise the fast transient sky and uncover new and unexpected phenomena, and provides our best chance to resolve the nature of FRBs and other rare fast transients. I will also discuss some observing run highlights and the progress and future of the program. |
