Finding the Elusive in a Deluge of Data: Observational Transient Astrophysics in the Era of Big Data

The field of observational astrophysics, and transient science in particular, is currently undergoing a “double revolution.” On the one hand, a new generation of cutting-edge telescopes is providing unprecedentedly rich and abundant observations of transient phenomena. On the other hand, the rapidly developing field of data science is offering powerful new tools to analyze these observations. In this talk, I will present two questions through which we aim to leverage these emerging opportunities at this critical moment in the history of the field.

(1) An important question in X-ray science: How do we detect elusive signals when we have 60 years of observations but hardly any photons? Using innovative search algorithms, I will show how we mine decades of archival X-ray data from space telescopes to uncover hidden transients buried in the background noise. These signals may reveal precious information about the very first moments of stellar death, as well as the physical mechanisms governing stellar flares.

(2) How can a transient’s environment inform us about the nature of the transient itself? Using large new datasets from the DESI telescope, I will show how we can explore the connections between supernova explosions and their environments in order to gain new insights into the still poorly understood nature of exploding stars.