Objective
Looking up on a starry night, it’s easy to imagine that the Universe is unchanging. In reality, however, the Universe is teeming with activity: there are massive explosions from accreting black holes, bright radio flashes from ultra-magnetic pulsars, and likely other spectacles that have so far escaped our prying eyes. These fleeting events can happen faster than the blink of an eye and, importantly, they trace the most extreme astrophysical phenomena. Catching these rare performances poses a major challenge for observational astronomers, but the scientific payoff is well worth the effort.
With this proposal, I will mould the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope into DRAGNET, the world's premier high-speed, wide-angle camera for radio astronomy. Radio waves are a unique and powerful way of investigating the most extreme astrophysical processes. With DRAGNET I will characterize the rate of fast radio transients, i.e. astrophysical bursts lasting less than a second, and search for new astrophysical phenomena in this largely unexplored domain. This has the potential to give us transformative insight into the extremes of gravity and dense matter. Alongside this, I will simultaneously monitor hundreds of radio-emitting neutron stars (pulsars) on a regular basis. This will allow me to understand why some neutron stars pulse regularly, while others show rapid switches in their emission properties. This will address the physics behind the strongest magnetic fields in the Universe.
I have led the construction of LOFAR's high-time-resolution observing capabilities; in this project I will capitalize on that investment and do cutting-edge science that is beyond the reach of any other existing telescope. Simply put, this project will establish a world-leading research group in the emerging field of fast radio transients and will crystallize the wide-field radio telescope as an essential tool for unveiling the bustling activity that makes our Universe so interesting to study.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors optical sensors
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy stellar astronomy neutron stars
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy observational astronomy radio astronomy
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy astrophysics black holes
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2013-StG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
3526 KV UTRECHT
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.