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Published August 2022 | Version Published
Journal Article Open

Athena synergies in the multi-messenger and transient universe

Creators

  • 1. INAF-INAPS, Milan, Italy
  • 2. ROR icon University of Copenhagen
  • 3. ROR icon University of Paris
  • 4. ROR icon University of Milano-Bicocca
  • 5. ROR icon Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
  • 6. ROR icon European Space Research and Technology Centre
  • 7. ROR icon Netherlands Institute for Space Research
  • 8. ROR icon University of Virginia
  • 9. ROR icon University of Leicester
  • 10. ROR icon University of Rome Tor Vergata
  • 11. ROR icon University of Amsterdam
  • 12. ROR icon University of Edinburgh
  • 13. INAF-OAS, Turin, Italy
  • 14. ROR icon California Institute of Technology
  • 15. ROR icon University of Geneva
  • 16. ROR icon Institute of Physics of Cantabria
  • 17. ROR icon University of Cambridge
  • 18. ROR icon Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • 19. ROR icon Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 20. ROR icon University of Birmingham
  • 21. ROR icon European Southern Observatory
  • 22. ROR icon Leiden University
  • 23. ROR icon Perimeter Institute
  • 24. ROR icon University of Bath

Abstract

In this paper we explore the scientific synergies between Athena and some of the key multi-messenger facilities that should be operative concurrently with Athena. These facilities include LIGO A+, Advanced Virgo+ and future detectors for ground-based observation of gravitational waves (GW), LISA for space-based observations of GW, IceCube and KM3NeT for neutrino observations, and CTA for very high energy observations. These science themes encompass pressing issues in astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental physics such as: the central engine and jet physics in compact binary mergers, accretion processes and jet physics in Super-Massive Binary Black Holes (SMBBHs) and in compact stellar binaries, the equation of state of neutron stars, cosmic accelerators and the origin of Cosmic Rays (CRs), the origin of intermediate and high-Z elements in the Universe, the Cosmic distance scale and tests of General Relativity and the Standard Model. Observational strategies for implementing the identified science topics are also discussed. A significant part of the sources targeted by multi-messenger facilities is of transient nature. We have thus also discussed the synergy of Athena with wide-field high-energy facilities, taking THESEUS as a case study for transient discovery. This discussion covers all the Athena science goals that rely on follow-up observations of high-energy transients identified by external observatories, and includes also topics that are not based on multi-messenger observations, such as the search for missing baryons or the observation of early star populations and metal enrichment at the cosmic dawn with Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs).

Copyright and License

© The Author(s) 2022.

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Acknowledgement

This research has been supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme under the AHEAD (grant agreement number 654215) and AHEAD2020 project (grant agreement n. 871158). The authors wish to thank J.M. Torrejón for the organization of the Athena-multi-messenger Workshops, held on November 27 - 29, 2018, in Alicante, Spain and on 5 May 2020 - 6 May 2020 in videoconference. FJC and SMN acknowledges funding under project RTI2018-096686-B-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, and by the Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu, ref. MDM-2017-0765.

Funding

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.

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Additional details

Additional titles

Alternative title
Multi-messenger-Athena Synergy White Paper

Related works

Is new version of
Discussion Paper: arXiv:2110.15677 (arXiv)

Funding

European Union
654215
European Union
871158
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
RTI2018-096686-B-C21
European Union
ERDF A way of making Europe
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu MDM-2017-0765
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Dates

Accepted
2022-07-24
Accepted
Available
2022-09-01
Published

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Publication Status
Published