Observations of astronomical objects currently provide some of the most
precise constraints of physical laws. This includes phenomena such as
dark energy and dark matter, which only come to dominate on the scales
of galaxies. Astrophysics has currently entered the era of
multi-messenger astronomy, where observations made across the
electromagnetic spectrum are combined with detections of cosmic rays and
neutrinos. The latest addition to the toolbox is the measurement of the
gravitational waves that are created when compact objects merge.
This
course will introduce the analysis techniques needed to understand the
basic measurements made by astronomical detectors, and how to convert
these into measurements of physical properties. A particular focus will
be given to the novel gravitational wave detectors, as well as how to
combine multi-messenger observations.
Course key words:
* What is a measurement? Detection, uncertainty and selection bias.
* Electromagnetic telescopes: Optical, Gamma-ray (X-ray), IR
* Neutrinos (and cosmic rays)
* Gravitational wave sources and detectors
* How to combine data into multi-messenger astronomy
- Course owner: Jakob Nordin
- Course owner: Robert Parsons
- Course owner: Alice Townsend