公海555000kk线路检测・(中国)有限公司

Colloquium

Title: The Early Sciences from FAST

Speaker: Prof. Di Li, National Astronomical Observatories

Location:  Room 300, No.5 Building, New Buildings of Sciences

Time: 16:00-17:00,Wed, Mar.10, 2021

Abstract:

The mid-1990s witnessed the birth of the FAST concept. The science operation started in 2020. The two-decade 'long march'  never lacked challenges and tribulations. This is a brief summary of our innovations in response. We developed the world’s first commensal observing mode in this band, capable of recording pulsar, Galactic HI, extra-galactic HI, and transient data streams, simultaneously. The thus based Commensal Radio Astronomy FAST Survey (CRAFTS) was approved as one of the five major surveys by the science committee and has produced the first batch of FAST’s science results, including new pulsars, new FRBs, the first paper on systematic timing of FAST new pulsars, etc. Before CRAFTS, there is no major survey that accomplished simultaneously searching for pulsars and imaging HI. CRAFTS helps improve the survey efficiency of FAST by more than three folds. In addition to surveys, FAST has started more than 100 PI-led programs, selected by open competitions through the “shared-risk” and the first open call for proposals. Many proposals focused on new frontiers, such as fast radio bursts (FRB) and exoplanets. FAST joined the compaign to monitor the only Galactic FRB source J1935+2154 and provided the most stringent constraint on its radio flux, which is crucial to understand the origin of FRBs. This result along with the discovery papers has been cited as one of the major scientific achievements by both 《Nature》 and 《Science》magazines.

Human’s view of the cosmos have been entirely shaped by what we can observe. The ultimate goal of FAST is to deepen mankind’s understanding of nature through worldview-altering discoveries.  As envisioned by Dr. Nan, Rendong, “FAST represents the collective ambition of Chinese astronomers to leap from chasing to leading.” It starts now.