Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network (AMON): Science, Infrastructure, and Status (1708.04724v1)

Abstract: The realization of multimessenger astrophysics will open new vistas upon the most energetic events in the universe. Messenger particles of all four of nature's fundamental forces, recorded by detectors on the ground and satellites in space, enable coincidence searches for multimessenger phenomena that will allow us to discover, observe, and explore these sources. The Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network (AMON) links multiple high-energy neutrino, cosmic ray, and gamma-ray observatories as well as gravitational wave facilities into a single virtual system, enabling near real-time coincidence searches for multimessenger astrophysical transients and their electromagnetic counterparts, and providing alerts to follow-up observatories. The science case, design elements, partner observatories, and status of the AMON project are presented, followed by recent results from AMON real-time and archival analyses.