The National Academies Press

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From page 229... ... A Statement of Task, Additional Guidance, and Panel Descriptions STATEMENT OF TASK The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall convene an ad hoc survey committee and supporting study panels to carry out a decadal survey in astronomy and astrophysics. The study will generate consensus recommendations to implement a comprehensive strategy and vision for a decade of transformative science at the frontiers of astronomy and astrophysics. Read the entire page →
From page 230... ... • Multi-messenger astronomy and astrophysics investigations that may be conducted using the wide variety of messengers, including the full breadth of electromagnetic observations, gravitational waves, and particles from astronomical sources. Many projects with science topics aligned with the Department of Energy (DOE) Read the entire page →
From page 231... ... • Consider and clearly define the study's interpretation of "balance," using the National Academies report The Space Science Decadal Surveys -- Lessons Learned and Best Practices (2015) , as a guide. Read the entire page →
From page 232... ... It is anticipated that a call for white papers will be issued prior to the commencement of the study itself. The committee may also convene focused workshops on special topics of interest. Read the entire page →
From page 233... ... PANEL DESCRIPTIONS -- SCIENCE PANELS Panel on Compact Objects and Energetic Phenomena The Panel on Compact Objects and Energetic Phenomena will identify and articulate the scientific themes that will define the frontier in research of compact objects and energetic phenomena in the 2022– 2032 decade. Its scope will include white dwarfs, neutron stars, pulsars, magnetars, stellar mass black holes, compact binary systems, novae, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, fast radio bursts, physical processes and accretion onto supermassive black holes, and gravitational radiation and high-energy particles and radiation from astrophysical sources. Read the entire page →
From page 234... ... PANEL DESCRIPTIONS -- PROGRAM PANELS Panel on an Enabling Foundation for Research The Panel on an Enabling Foundation for Research will summarize the current state of resources and support, identify major challenges, and make suggestions to the Astro2020 committee on the topics of theory, computation, and simulation; data collection, archiving, and analysis; facilities, funding, and programs; laboratory astrophysics; and general technology development. The panel's suggestions will be incorporated into a program for all of astronomy and astrophysics by the Astro2020 committee. Read the entire page →
From page 235... ... The RMS panel will also consider technology development needs to support the program. In formulating its conclusions, the RMS panel will draw on several sources of information: (1) Read the entire page →
From page 236... ... The science panels were also asked to provide a summary of the general capabilities needed to address the science questions and discovery areas without going into an excess of quantitative detail. Linking general capabilities to specific ground or space activities in consideration by the decadal survey was out of scope for the science panels. Read the entire page →
From page 237... ... . In addition to stellar-mass BHs, supermassive black holes (SMBHs) Read the entire page →
From page 238... ... WHAT ARE THE MASS AND SPIN DISTRIBUTIONS OF NEUTRON STARS AND STELLAR-MASS BLACK HOLES? Among the measurable properties of compact objects, two fundamental quantities are their mass and spin, which can constrain their birth and evolution. Read the entire page →
From page 239... ... B-Q1a. What Do the Mass and Spin Distributions Tell Us About Neutron Star and Black Hole Formation and Evolution? Read the entire page →
From page 240... ... B-Q1b. What Is the Population of Noninteracting or Isolated Neutron Stars and Stellar-Mass Black Holes? Read the entire page →
From page 241... ... Some transients are valuable "standard candles" used to trace the acceleration of the universe. The death throes of massive stars deposit radiative and mechanical energy into the interstellar medium (ISM) Read the entire page →
From page 242... ... B-Q2a. When and How Are Transients Powered by Neutron Stars or Black Holes? Read the entire page →
From page 243... ... The radioactive decay of newly formed nucleosynthetic products is a known source of energy powering malization of gamma rays originating from the β-decay of 56Ni in the ejecta of type Ia SNe provides a key the optical light-curves of both ordinary core-collapse (type II) and thermonuclear (type Ia) Read the entire page →
From page 244... ... . Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes discovered TeV gamma rays from GRB jets. Read the entire page →
From page 245... ... Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs, in the ~EeV range) can contribute significantly to the reionization of the IGM at the epoch of formation of the first AGNs and GRBs. Read the entire page →
From page 246... ... Increased angular resolution and sensitivity of neutrino detectors are needed to address this. Hadronic interactions between UHECRs and photons produce a comparable amount of energy in sec will cascade down to lower energies via γ–γ interactions so that some of the observed GeV or lower-energy ondary gamma rays and neutrinos in the GeV-TeV range or above. Read the entire page →

From page 229...

... A Statement of Task, Additional Guidance, and Panel Descriptions STATEMENT OF TASK The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall convene an ad hoc survey committee and supporting study panels to carry out a decadal survey in astronomy and astrophysics. The study will generate consensus recommendations to implement a comprehensive strategy and vision for a decade of transformative science at the frontiers of astronomy and astrophysics.