Project Description

The era of gravitational-wave multi-messenger astronomy has begun. Telescopes around the globe are now in hot pursuit of electromagnetic counterparts (EM) to LIGO-Virgo sources, especially double-neutron star (NS-NS) and neutron star-black hole mergers (NS-BH). The EM counterparts are crucial for 1) providing arcsecond localization and identifying the precise host galaxy and merger redshift, 2) understanding the energetics and physics of the merger, 3) understanding jet launching and dynamics, and the nature of the merger remnant, 4) mapping their environments and pre-merger mass ejection processes, 5) measuring the Hubble constant and constraining the neutron star equation of state, and 6) confirming the validity of the GW signals at low signal-to-noise ratios. Radio wavelengths are well-suited to finding the afterglows resulting from the ultra-relativistic jet and sub-relativistic neutron-rich ejecta. The Jansky Array mapping of Gravitational Bursts as Afterglows in Radio (JAGWAR) is a VLA large program program that has been running since August 2016. The project is aimed at maximizing the discoveries and optimizing the follow up observations of the radio afterglows of NS-NS and NS-BH mergers. Currently the program is being carried out in partnership with various other radio facilities across the globe, including the ASKAP, ATCA, GMRT, MeerKAT and AMI-LA.