Long Wavelength Array Exploring the Transient Universe with the Long Wavelength Array (LWA: Exploring the Transient Universe with the Long Wavelength Array (LWA: Greg Taylor (KIPAC / NRAO / UNM) for the Southwest Consortium (UNM, NRL, UT, LANL) Wavelengths longer than 3 meters “Long Wavelengths” (LW)  Frequencies below 90 MHz

Long Wavelength Array The 2004 Dec. 27 Giant Flare Swift n was ~ 5 o from the sun n It’s distance ≈ 15 kpc n E iso ~ (2-9)  erg n E iso,spike / E iso,tail ~ 300 n Expanding radio afterglow (Palmer et al. 2005)

Long Wavelength Array From Cameron et al Radio Afterglow has a Steep Spectrum ~ -0.6 at t+7 days down to at least 220 MHz Flux > 1 Jy at early times and low frequencies. Visible out to ~ 1 Mpc

Long Wavelength Array Image Evolution VLA 8.5 GHz Taylor et al. 2005, astro-ph/

Long Wavelength Array Growth of the Radio Afterglow VLA 8.5 GHz Size at t+7 days cm Velocity to t + 30 days ~ 0.8 c Decrease in v exp

Long Wavelength Array 400 km 1 “LWA Station” = 256 antennas Full LWA: 50 stations spread across NM LWA Overview: Far Larger than the VLA 100 m State of New Mexico Y VLA

Long Wavelength Array Phased Development TimePhaseDescriptionAcronym 20040Existing 74 MHz VLAVLA ILong Wavelength Development ArrayLWDA II9 station Long Wavelength Intermediate Array LWIA IIILWA CoreLWAC IVHigh Resolution LWALWA 2010-VLW Operations and Science CenterLWOSC

Long Wavelength Array Full LWA Specifications

Long Wavelength Array Another recently discovered type of transient radio source: CGRT J (Hyman et al. 2005) A periodic flaring to ~1 Jy at 76 min intervals during several months in 2002 No obvious IR or X-ray counterpart T b ~ K, most likely a coherent emitter New type of radio source?

Long Wavelength Array Frequency (MHz) LWA Range (deca-meter wave) Centimeter waves Millimeter waves Detecting Extra solar Planets n LWA may detect emission from extra-solar “Jupiters” in outburst. n Jupiter exhibits bursts of ~10 5 Jy at ~ 40 MHz. ~40 MHz. Interaction of Jupiter’s magnetosphere with the Solar Wind Brightness

Long Wavelength Array Low Frequency Transient Sources Radio afterglows (GRBs, SNe, magnetars, …) Extra-Solar planets Ultra-High Energy Cosmic-ray showers Prompt GRB and/or SNe emission Giant pulses from pulsars Microquasars AGN flares Microlensing events LIGO events? Evaporating black holes? … Falcke et al. 2005

Long Wavelength Array SUMMARY n Opportunity –A pathfinder Long Wavelength (LW) system demonstrates we can finally “see” through the ionosphere at high sensitivity below 100 MHz. n The Long Wavelength Array (LWA) project –A Long Wavelength system more than 10X size and 100X the power of a recently developed LW VLA pathfinder system. –A 400 km, completely electronic radio-telescope to be built in NM by the Southwest Consortium, providing arcsecond resolution below 100 MHz. n Goals: –Detection and Monitoring of Transient Sources, Cosmic Evolution, Particle Acceleration, and Ionospheric Physics The Long Wavelength Array will open the last poorly explored region of the spectrum - the potential for new discoveries will be high!