FAST——脉冲星观测研究的利器

 2016年9月25日落成的中国自行设计建造的500 m口径球面射电望远镜（FAST）是目前全世界最大口径的射电望远镜。在调试期间已成功发现了脉冲星,实现了国内设备发现脉冲星的零突破。脉冲星是宇宙中的一类奇妙天体,是验证强引力场、强磁场和高密度等极端物理环境下物理规律的"天然实验室"。作为脉冲星研究的利器,预计FAST大规模巡天能够大幅提高已知的脉冲星数目。FAST还将在低频引力波探测、脉冲星物理、星际和星系际介质探测、脉冲星时间尺度建立及脉冲星导航等领域取得突破性进展。在上述研究中,国内天文设备取长补短、相互补充,有望实现中国脉冲星观测研究跨越式发展。

FAST: A sharp tool to do pulsar studies

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope(FAST), which is independently designed and built in China, is the largest single-dish telescope on the earth.The construction was completed on September 25th, 2016. A few new pulsars were discovered by the FAST during its commissioning phase, as the first pulsar discovery with the telescope in China. The pulsar is a fantastic object, which serves as the natural lab on the sky for studies of the extreme physical conditions, including the strong gravitational field, the strong magnetic field and the high density. The FAST is a very useful tool for pulsar studies, and can make breakthroughs in the following areas:boosting the pulsar number, detecting gravitational wave, studying the interstellar and intergalactic medium, building the pulsar timescale and the deep space navigation system, and others. In the field of pulsar research, all kinds of telescopes may play a role, and it can be anticipated that with the addition of the FAST, the domestic pulsar research will have a leap forward.