Galactic Center Pulsars with the ngVLA

Pulsars in the Galactic Center (GC) are important probes of General Relativity, star formation, stellar dynamics, stellar evolution, and the interstellar medium. Despite years of searching, only a handful of pulsars in the central 0.5 deg are known. The high-frequency sensitivity of ngVLA will open a new window for discovery and characterization of pulsars in the GC. A pulsar in orbit around the GC black hole, Sgr A*, will provide an unprecedented probe of black hole physics and General Relativity.Comment: To be published in the ASP Monograph Series, "Science with a Next-Generation VLA", ed. E. J. Murphy (ASP, San Francisco, CA

The Allen Telescope Array Fly's Eye Survey for Fast Radio Transients

The relatively unexplored fast radio transient parameter space is known to be home to a variety of interesting sources, including pulsars, pulsar giant pulses and non-thermal emission from planetary magnetospheres. In addition, a variety of hypothesized but as-yet-unobserved phenomena, such as primordial black hole evaporation and prompt emission associated with coalescing massive objects have been suggested. The 2007 announcement by Lorimer et al. of the detection of a bright (30 Jy) radio pulse that was inferred to be of extragalactic origin and the subsequent consternation have demonstrated both the potential utility of bright radio pulses as probes of the interstellar medium and intergalactic medium, as well as the need for wide-field surveys characterizing the fast-transient parameter space. Here we present results from the 450 hour, 150 deg^2 Fly's Eye survey for bright dispersed radio pulses at the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). The Fly's Eye spectrometer produces 128 channel power spectra over a 209 MHz bandwidth, centered at 1430 MHz, on 44 independent signals paths originating with 30 independent ATA antennas. Data were dedispersed between 0 and 2000 pc cm^-3 and searched for pulses with dispersion measures greater than 50 pc cm^-3 between 625 us and 5 s in duration. No pulses were detected in the survey, implying a limiting rate of less than 2 sky^-1 hour^-1 for 10 millisecond duration pulses having apparent energy densities greater than 440 kJy us, or mean flux densities greater than 44 Jy. Here we present details of the instrument, experiment and observations, including a discussion of our results in light of other single pulse searches.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

VOEvent Standard for Fast Radio Bursts

Fast radio bursts are a new class of transient radio phenomena currently detected as millisecond radio pulses with very high dispersion measures. As new radio surveys begin searching for FRBs a large population is expected to be detected in real-time, triggering a range of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger telescopes to search for repeating bursts and/or associated emission. Here we propose a method for disseminating FRB triggers using Virtual Observatory Events (VOEvents). This format was developed and is used successfully for transient alerts across the electromagnetic spectrum and for multi-messenger signals such as gravitational waves. In this paper we outline a proposed VOEvent standard for FRBs that includes the essential parameters of the event and where these parameters should be specified within the structure of the event. An additional advantage to the use of VOEvents for FRBs is that the events can automatically be ingested into the FRB Catalogue (FRBCAT) enabling real-time updates for public use. We welcome feedback from the community on the proposed standard outlined below and encourage those interested to join the nascent working group forming around this topic.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, parameter definition table in appendi

Current and Nascent SETI Instruments

Here we describe our ongoing efforts to develop high-performance and sensitive instrumentation for use in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI). These efforts include our recently deployed Search for Extraterrestrial Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations Spectrometer (SERENDIP V.v) and two instruments currently under development; the Heterogeneous Radio SETI Spectrometer (HRSS) for SETI observations in the radio spectrum and the Optical SETI Fast Photometer (OSFP) for SETI observations in the optical band. We will discuss the basic SERENDIP V.v instrument design and initial analysis methodology, along with instrument architectures and observation strategies for OSFP and HRSS. In addition, we will demonstrate how these instruments may be built using low-cost, modular components and programmed and operated by students using common languages, e.g. ANSI C.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, Original version appears as Chapter 2 in "The Proceedings of SETI Sessions at the 2010 Astrobiology Science Conference: Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI)," Douglas A. Vakoch, Edito

Meeting Funders’ Data Policies: Blueprint for a Research Data Management Service Group (RDMSG)

This report summarizes the elements that we expect to be required in data management plans, describes Cornell’s current capabilities and needs in meeting such requirements, and proposes a structure for a virtual organization that builds on the collaboration between the DRSG, CAC, CUL and CISER. The proposed organization also includes Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) and Weill Cornell Medical College Information Technologies and Services (WCMC-ITS) to further develop and provide this support

The Bottom Line: Investing for Impact on Economic Mobility in the U.S.

There is no greater challenge in the United States today than income inequality. It has been 50 years since the War on Poverty began. We have made progress but not enough. More than 32 million children live in low-income families, and racial and gender gaps persist. For the first time, Americans do not believe life will be better for the next generation. We have both a moral and an economic imperative to fuel social and economic mobility in this country.The Aspen Institute was founded in 1950 as a place to address the critical issues of our time. Today, ensuring that the American dream can be a possibility for all and be passed from one generation to the next is that issue. This commitment is at the heart of the work of many policy programs at the Aspen Institute. Ending the cycle of poverty requires leadership and hard work across all sectors, from nonprofit organizations, philanthropies, and academia to the government and private sector. This report recognizes the importance of learning from all sectors in tackling any challenge. Specifically, it builds on opportunities in the growing impact investment field. The report draws on the lessons from market-based approaches to identify tools and strategies that can help move the needle on family economic security. In this report, you will find the following: Case studies -- An opportunity to go under the hood on deals with the Bank of America, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Acelero Learning, and others; Point of view essays -- Insights and lessons from leaders in the field; Deals at a glance -- Snapshots of impact investors and what they have learned, including the Kresge Foundation, Living Cities, and the MacArthur Foundation; and Survey results and lessons learned -- Trends among active and emerging players in the U.S. impact investment field and the lessons that can be applied to economic mobility in the U.S. We are pleased to offer this expanded perspective on impact investing in the U.S. and the lessons for investors, philanthropists, and non-profits working to build strong and prosperous families and communities

The Grizzly, September 21, 1993

Israel and PLO Reach Peace Agreement • The Quilt: To Remember, To Educate, To Celebrate • Russian TV Crew Filming at Ursinus • New Reimert Policies for \u2793-\u2794 • Jurassic Park: It\u27s Only a Movie • Bernie Bernie Headflap Wins the Battle Again! • The Newly Roomie Game • A Unique Affair Awaits Us: Javapalooza \u2793 to Entertain Ursinus • Ursinus Needs AIDS Policy • More Than a Number • The New Wismer? Or a Police State? • Field Hockey Struggles Early • Men\u27s X-Country Starts off 2-0 • Lady Bears Search for Consistencyhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1318/thumbnail.jp

Next Generation Very Large Array Memo No. 9 Science Working Group 4: Time Domain, Fundamental Physics, and Cosmology

We report here on key science topics for the Next Generation Very Large Array in the areas of time domain, fundamental physics, and cosmology. Key science cases considered are pulsars in orbit around the Galactic Center massive black hole, Sagittarius A*, electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves, and astrometric cosmology. These areas all have the potential for ground-breaking and transformative discovery. Numerous other topics were discussed during the preparation of this report and some of those discussions are summarized here, as well. There is no doubt that further investigation of the science case will reveal rich and compelling opportunities

Next Generation Very Large Array Memo No. 9 Science Working Group 4: Time Domain, Fundamental Physics, and Cosmology

We report here on key science topics for the Next Generation Very Large Array in the areas of time domain, fundamental physics, and cosmology. Key science cases considered are pulsars in orbit around the Galactic Center massive black hole, Sagittarius A*, electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves, and astrometric cosmology. These areas all have the potential for ground-breaking and transformative discovery. Numerous other topics were discussed during the preparation of this report and some of those discussions are summarized here, as well. There is no doubt that further investigation of the science case will reveal rich and compelling opportunities