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M.P. Rupen (NRAO), EVLA Science Team
The study of transient astronomical sources is a growing field of endeavor in astrophysics, as space- and ground-based telescopes have increased their capability to respond rapidly to short-term events. Transient sources tend to be compact objects which emit high-energy photons and accelerate high-energy particles; the latter are observable primarily through synchrotron emission, which in turn is most easily seen at radio wavelengths. Radio observations are therefore quite important to studies of variable sources, particularly because of a number of practical advantages, including high angular resolution, the lack of confusing sources, and the ability to observe both day and night under most weather conditions. The Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) will be an ideal astronomical research instrument for studies of the Transient Universe, particularly because of (1) the increased sensitivity (a factor of 10 over the current VLA), providing observations of fainter objects over longer time periods; (2) improved resolution, yielding images of sources that are now just detectable; and (3) dynamic scheduling, allowing a rapid response to transient sources. For instance, the EVLA will provide accurate mass estimates and three-dimensional images of Galactic novae, image every relativistic jet in the Milky Way, and measure the sizes of up to a hundred gamma-ray burst sources every year.