Exploring the Time-Resolved Millimeter Sky with Modern CMB Surveys and the Simons Observatory

Abstract: The first blind transient searches at millimeter wavelengths are underway, with several recent results by the South Pole Telescope and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. The Simons Observatory (SO) will open a new parameter space in sky coverage and sensitivity, enabling the detection, characterization, and discovery of known and unknown populations of transients. SO will also actively monitor and release light curves for thousands of luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) on a ~daily cadence. In this talk I will review the capabilities of SO as a survey for studying a broad range of time-domain astrophysics, from understanding typical AGN variability to expanding our understanding of stellar activity via minutes- to hours-long mm-wave flares to searching for cosmic explosions such as gamma-ray bursts and tidal disruption events. I will also discuss the planned public availability of light curves and transient alerts from SO, which will allow for rapid community access and follow-up.

(Attached photo is showing the first-light observation of Jupiter for one of the Simons Observatory small aperture telescopes (SATs) which was installed on the platform in November 2023)