Advancements in Streamlining Time-Domain and Multi-Messenger Astronomy Follow-Up Infrastructure at Keck Observatory

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development of new infrastructure at Keck Observatory to improve rapid follow-up observations for time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy, addressing the needs of modern astronomical surveys and experiments.

Contribution

It introduces new services and infrastructure at Keck Observatory designed to streamline and enhance follow-up observations for transient and multi-messenger events.

Findings

Development of Target-of-Opportunity trigger system

Enhanced observational planning and data acquisition workflows

Integration with existing observatory data services

Abstract

With active time-domain surveys like the Zwicky Transient Facility, the anticipated Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, and multi-messenger experiments such as LIGO/VIRGO/KANGRA for gravitational wave detection and IceCube for high-energy neutrino events, there is a new era in both time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy. The Astro2020 decadal survey highlights effectively responding to these astronomical alerts in a timely manner as a priority, and thus, there is an urgent need for the development of a seamless follow-up infrastructure at existing facilities that are capable of following up on detections at the survey depths. At the W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO), we are actively constructing critical infrastructure, aimed at facilitating the Target-of-Opportunity (ToO) trigger, optimizing observational planning, streamlining data acquisition, and enhancing data product accessibility. In this document, we provide an overview of these developing services and place them in context of existing observatory infrastructure like the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA) and Data Services Initiative (DSI).