Physics of the Cosmos
(PhysCOS)

7 January 2020

MMASAG Draft Report Announcement

Introduction

The power of multimessenger astrophysics was demonstrated in 2017 through the observation of a binary neutron star merger, the first astrophysical event observed in both the gravitational wave and electromagnetic spectra. Multimessenger astrophysics will remain an important tool for astronomers in the future as we combine electromagnetic radiation, gravitational wave radiation, and particle astrophysics observations of cosmic events. NASA's space observatories in the 2020 decade and beyond will have an important role to play, including those that will continue to operate in the 2020s, such as Hubble, Chandra, Swift, Fermi, those currently planned, including JWST, WFIRST, Athena, LISA, Explorers, and those that will be considered by the 2020 astrophysics decadal committee.

The Multimessenger Astrophysics Science Analysis Group will analyze the potential scientific benefits of multimessenger observations made possible by NASA observatories in the 2020 decade and beyond, working in conjunction with each other or with other ground and space-based instruments.

The MMA SAG is open to all members of the community. The SAG's charter can be read here: [PDF]

• MMA SAG Draft Report [PDF]


• Please submit your feedback on the final Multimessenger Astrophysics Science Analysis Group (MMA SAG) report using this form by 15 February 2020.

Get Involved

Teams are organizing in the Slack space. To find the relevant team(s), click on "Channels" to browse the channel and join a team's channel.

For other inquiries, e-mail Chair John Conklin at jwconklin@ufl.edu, and Co-chairs John Tomsick at jtomsick@ssl.berkeley.edu and Suvi Gezari at suvi@astro.umd.edu.

White Papers for Decadal Survey

The Multimessenger Astrophysics Science Analysis Group (MMA SAG) offered community members the opportunity to advertise any Decadal Survey White Papers they're considering writing, including if they would like broader participation.

White papers that have been submitted as a result of this effort can now be found at MMA SAG White Papers

Please direct questions, concerns, or comments to John Conklin (jwconklin@ufl.edu) and Terri Brandt (T.J.Brandt@nasa.gov).

MMA SAG Team Organization

1. AGN, SMBH binaries, EMRIs
   Sarah Burke-Spolaor, co-lead
   Bindu Rani, co-lead


2. NS+NS, NS+BH, WD-WD binaries, GRBs
   Eric Burns, co-lead
   Colleen Wilson-Hodge, co-lead


3. Stellar mass BH-BH binaries
   Peter Shawhan, co-lead
   Saavik Ford, co-lead


4. FRBs, SNe Ia, SN remnants
   Geoff Clayton, lead

Kickoff Telecon

• Date: Friday, 8 June 2018
• Time: 12:00 Noon Eastern / 11:00 AM Central / 10:00 AM Mountain / 9:00 AM Pacific


• Agenda
  1. Introduction and SAG goals
  2. Brief intro of Co-chairs
  3. Proposed organizational structure
     1. Teams organized by MMA source with representation from each of the relevant messengers
     2. One lead per team (volunteers needed!)
  4. Proposed interaction plan
     1. Monthly(?) full MMA SAG telecons
     2. Weekly(?) source team telecons
  5. Open Discussion
  6. Notes from the telecon are available here. Request access with a Google account to view them.