Project description
A much closer look at astronomical objects and processes
The EU-funded KRANK project will harness the power of Big Data in investigating large cosmic events. By developing techniques to find the most energetic and extreme collisions, disruptions and explosions, the project will explore the fates of massive stars. Moreover, it will examine the origins of the biggest black holes and the sources of the heaviest chemical elements. Some of the most pressing questions about stellar evolution, nucleosythesis and high energy physics will be addressed with the development of novel image classification techniques. The project is timely, given that the upgrades in gravitational wave detectors, the start of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and the brief era of the James Webb Space Telescope will overlap in just a few years.
Objective
Time-domain astronomy will soon be transformed by powerful instrumentation: the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and upgraded gravitational wave detectors. We will finally be able to build large samples of rare and multi-messenger transients, allowing new scientific breakthroughs. But to do so, we must overcome the substantial difficulty of identifying the important events among an expected sea of contaminants. I will solve this problem by developing novel image classification techniques before LSST begins, and then use this with LSST data to answer some of the most pressing questions about stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, and high energy physics. I will discover hundreds of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe), key to unknown physics in massive stars, and tidal disruption events (TDEs) of stars around supermassive black holes, probing black hole accretion in usually inaccessible regimes. By folding in the sky maps from GW detections of neutron star mergers, I will rapidly find kilonova counterparts in LSST follow-up searches. With 10-100 kilonovae (compared to 1 well-studied event now), we will understand the nucleosynthesis of all heavy (r-process) elements, determine the equation of state for nuclear matter, and pin down what these mergers leave behind. Moreover, I will determine the progenitor stars and power source of SLSNe, and the emission mechanisms in TDEs and relation to black hole mass, using even larger samples of those events. We may even find whole new transient classes. This project could not be more timely as the upgrades in GW detectors, the start of LSST, and the brief era of JWST will overlap in just a few years (and within the time of an ERC-funded project). Everything is in place for success, from guaranteed data access and follow-up resources, to public/prototype codes. The legacy datasets for rare transient classes will dwarf those from pre-LSST, and our inference framework will lead to an unprecedented understanding of these populations.
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.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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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.
(opens in new window) ERC-2020-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
BT7 1NN BELFAST
United Kingdom
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.