The New Era of Real-Time Multi-Messenger Astronomy

Dear Colleagues,

In August 2017, the LIGO/VIRGO scientific collaboration discovered a gravitational wave signal from the neutron star merger GW170817. The detection of the associated electromagnetic emission (GRB170817A, AT 2017gfo) is now considered the beginning of the new era of multi-messenger astronomy. Only a few weeks after that first breakthrough, the IceCube neutrino observatory detected a high-energy neutrino (IceCube-170922A) and follow-up observations across the electromagnetic spectrum led to the identification of the flaring gamma-ray blazar TXS 0506+056 within its uncertainty region. These first observational results have triggered a flurry of theoretical and experimental efforts over recent years. Significant progress in many areas has allowed us to start simultaneous observation campaigns, including all the known cosmic messengers, from the radio to the very high-energy gamma-ray domain, cosmic rays, neutrinos and gravitational waves. Novel methods, which are becoming more and more reliant on machine learning techniques, to analyze data streams in real-time allow us to alert the worldwide community in real-time. Follow-up techniques and observatory schedules have been optimized for prompt follow-ups and subsequent data analyses and interpretations naturally take into account the wealth of the gathered information.

This Special Issue focuses on the progress of real-time multi-messenger astronomy over recent years and the outlook and preparation of the next decade. It will highlight recent observational results and progress in the theoretical understanding of the most violent phenomena in the universe. Complementary topics range from real-time data analyses and alert distribution techniques to novel scheduling and analysis procedures. The Special Issue will thus provide an overview and state-of-the-art description of the most important building block of the exciting field of real-time multi-messenger astronomy. 

Dr. Fabian Schüssler
Prof. Dr. Anna Franckowiak
Dr. Marcos Santander
Guest Editors

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• multi-messenger
• transients
• gravitational waves
• high-energy neutrinos
• gamma-ray bursts
• optical transients