This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049), provides $888,328 in funding to the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) from September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2026. The grant supports an international program led by UCSC researchers to study the electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave events, with the key goals of: 1) discovering and characterizing new electromagnetic counterparts, 2) producing improved theoretical models of the merger process, 3) studying the demographics of compact object mergers, and 4) understanding the physics of r-process nucleosynthesis. The project will support two UCSC graduate students, one focused on observational work and the other on theoretical modeling and simulations. It will also work to increase participation of underrepresented groups in astrophysics, cross-train scientists and students in visual arts and digital media, and engage high school students in the research.
Generated 4/30/24, 2:15 AM