Transients and Variable Stars with LSST

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

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Scientific paper

LSST will open an unprecedented window into the optical transient sky. It will cover more of the sky, more often, and to a deeper limiting magnitude than has previously been possible. Samples of known variable stars, such as cataclysmic variables (including exotic AM CVn), will be expanded by at least an order of magnitude due to LSST's temporal sampling of variability combined with multi-color photometry. Samples of known transient events, such as microlensing and gamma-ray bursts, will be similarly expanded. Optical counterparts to gravitational events detected with LIGO or LISA will be found, as well as X-Ray Novae. With extremely accurate photometry (0.5% relative accuracy at the bright end) LSST will discover many more pulsating stars, improving our understanding of their respective instability strips, and also enable the characterization of variability throughout the H-R diagram, including M-dwarf flare rates. With continual monitoring over many years, planetary transits and eclipsing binary systems will be detected throughout the 20,000 square degrees of LSST sky coverage. Most intriguingly, LSST will also discover new types of transient and variable phenomena. The unusual nova M81OT is an example of what can be discovered when sky coverage and cadence are increased throughout a survey.
LSST will generate `alerts’ within 60 seconds of detecting a new transient, permitting the community to follow up unusual events in greater detail.
We will present current estimates of the rate of transient alerts and examples of the temporal sampling of a variety of fields based on the baseline LSST cadence. The increase in sample size and diversity of transient and variable objects provided by LSST will lead to a greater understanding of the structure and life cycle of stars, particularly through their explosive, eruptive, mass loss stages and the end stages leading to supernovae, neutron stars or black holes.

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