Special Astrophysics Colloquium

Relativistic transients in the era of multi-messenger astronomy

Alessandra Corsi

Department of Physics and Astronomy
Texas Tech University

The deaths of massive stars seed our universe with black holes and neutron stars - the most exotic compact objects in the stellar graveyard. The manifestations can range from a whimper (faint core-collapse supernovae) to the most luminous and relativistic explosions (gamma-ray bursts; GRBs). When compact objects are paired in binaries, their mergers can also power relativistic jets (GRBs) while shaking the very fabric of space-time via gravitational waves. In this talk, I will discuss how radio observations can probe the most extreme astrophysical transients, unveil the the zoology of stellar explosions and, together with gravitational wave observations, shed light on outflows and remnants of compact binary mergers. I will conclude by highlighting opportunities and challenges ahead, as new observational facilities will transform a trickle of multi-messenger discoveries into a flood.