Related papers: A Vigorous Explorer Program
As for other areas in modern astronomy, the SKA will revolutionize the field of pulsar astrophysics. Not only will new science be possible by the shear number of pulsars discovered, but also by the unique timing precision achievable with…
A close partnership between people and partially autonomous machines has enabled decades of space exploration. But to further expand our horizons, our systems must become more capable. Increasing the nature and degree of autonomy - allowing…
Neutrinos may offer a unique opportunity to explore the far Universe at high energy. The ANTARES collaboration aims at building a large undersea neutrino detector able to observe astrophysical sources (AGNs, X-ray binary systems, ...) and…
Neutron star binaries, such as the one observed in the famous binary pulsar PSR 1916+13, end their life in a catastrophic merge event (denoted here NS$^2$M). The merger releases $\approx 5 \cdot 10^{53}$ergs, mostly as neutrinos and…
We propose an experiment, the Cosmic Accelerometer, designed to yield velocity precision of $\leq 1$ cm/s with measurement stability over years to decades. The first-phase Cosmic Accelerometer, which is at the scale of the Astro2020 Small…
The cosmological revolution of 1997 has established that (at least long duration) gamma-ray bursts (GRB) are among the most energetic events in the Universe and occur at cosmological distances. The ECLAIRs micro-satellite, to be launched in…
The NASA {\it Kepler} mission has been in science operation since May 2009 and is providing high precision, high cadence light curves of over 150,000 targets. Prior to launch, nine cataclysmic variables were known to lie within {\it…
The key to the exploration of the Ice Giant planets is avoiding cutting edge technology. Complexity produces delay and financial roadblocks. Simple robot scouts can be launched in time to utilize gravity assists from Jupiter in the early…
It is currently unknown how matter behaves at the extreme densities found within the cores of neutron stars. Measurements of the neutron star equation of state probe nuclear physics that is otherwise inaccessible in a laboratory setting.…
This paper presents a review of the history, motivation and current status of high energy neutrino telescopes. Many years after these detectors were first conceived, the operation of kilometer-cubed scale detectors is finally on the horizon…
Laboratory experiments provide a valuable complement to explore the fundamental physics of space plasmas without the limitations inherent to spacecraft measurements. Specifically, experiments overcome the restriction that spacecraft…
We live in momentous times. The science community is empowered with an arsenal of cosmic messengers to study the Universe in unprecedented detail. Gravitational waves, electromagnetic waves, neutrinos and cosmic rays cover a wide range of…
In this paper we address the consumption of energy by astronomers while performing their professional duties. Although we find that astronomy uses a negligible fraction of the US energy budget, the rate at which energy is consumed by an…
If the ethnic makeup of the astronomy profession is to achieve parity with the general population within one generation (~30 years), the number of underrepresented minorities earning graduate degrees in astronomy and astrophysics must…
Neutrino astronomy offers the possibility to perform extra-galactic observations well beyond the photon absorption cutoff above 50 TeV. Based on observations of cosmic rays, we already know that astrophysical sources produce particles with…
X-ray Astrophysics, which addresses extreme physics in extreme conditions, is particularly well suited for answering questions related to known physics. Reversely tiny effects, but integrated along sidereal distances, allow to probe…
The Star Watch extreme-precision astrometry mission (0.1 - 1.0 uas) builds on technology developed, and validated, during the SIM (Space Interferometry Mission) project. The sole science instrument is an optical interferometer with 50-cm…
Abridged: The golden age of astrophysics is upon us with both grand discoveries (extra-solar planets, dark matter, dark energy) and precision cosmology. Fundamental understanding of the working of stars and galaxies is within reach, thanks…
The proposed THESEUS mission will vastly expand the capabilities to monitor the high-energy sky, and will exploit large samples of gamma-ray bursts to probe the early Universe back to the first generation of stars, and to advance…
PUMA is a proposal for an ultra-wideband, low-resolution and transit interferometric radio telescope operating at $200-1100\,\mathrm{MHz}$. Its design is driven by six science goals which span three science themes: the physics of dark…