Title:
Unveiling Our Dynamic Infrared Sky
Abstract:
Our Universe has many stellar outcomes that shine the brightest in the infrared due to atomic opacity, self enshrouding, dust extinction, or low temperature. Multi-messenger emission from neutron star mergers is ubiquitous in the infrared as the bound-bound opacity of heavy elements pushes the peak of the emission to redder wavelengths. Emission from massive stars experiencing copious mass-loss or merging with other stars is self-obscured and better studied in the infrared. White dwarf merger products show dimming events that are best detected in the infrared. A classical nova or a Galactic supernova deep in the disk of the Milky Way is also likely brightest in the infrared on account of line-of-sight extinction. Yet, the infrared time-domain is hitherto largely unexplored. In this colloquium, I describe how I am starting to open up the dynamic infrared sky with a series of experiments. First, I will describe a pathfinder SPIRITS survey with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Next, I will present the first wide-field infrared surveyor, Palomar Gattini IR, that is mapping 15000 square degrees to a J-band depth of 16 mag every two nights. Looking ahead, I will conclude with plans for the next generation infrared surveyors: WINTER at Palomar Observatory in California, DREAMS in Australia, PRIME in South Africa and Cryoscope in Antarctica.