SPOTLIGHT: A realtime detection pipeline for FRBs and pulsars at uGMRT

Abstract

My thesis focuses on time-domain astronomy, a rapidly evolving field dedicated to the study of rapidly varying celestial sources. In particular, I explore the nature of transient radio sources, with an emphasis on pulsars and Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). Pulsars, which are rapidly rotating, strongly magnetized neutron stars, serve as precise cosmic clocks and offer insights into extreme states of matter and gravity. FRBs, on the other hand, are millisecond duration radio flashes observable at cosmological distances, making them powerful tools for probing highly energetic events and the ionized intergalactic medium (IGM). The core of my research is linked to the SPOTLIGHT project — a commensal, GPU- powered, real-time survey instrument designed to enhance the discovery potential of the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT). SPOTLIGHT aims to detect and localize FRBs and pulsars across the 300–1460 MHz radio spectrum, with the goal of discovering hundreds of these transients and associating FRBs with their host galaxies. Working under the guidance of Prof. Wes Armour (University of Oxford) and Prof. Jayanta Roy (NCRA-TIFR), I contributed to the commissioning of SPOTLIGHT by working on building its end-to-end detection pipeline and preparing it for the early science phase starting in late 2024. This project is part of the ”Building Indo-UK Collaborations Towards the Square Kilometre Array” initiative, funded by the DAE-STFC Technology and Skills Programme 2023. Through this work, I aim to push the boundaries of time-domain astronomy and support the discovery of new pulsars and FRBs using the uGMRT.