Hannah Gulick (UC Berkeley)

The next decade of time-domain astronomy will be defined by our ability to observe the sky continuously, precisely, and across multiple wavelengths. Existing surveys continue to transform our understanding of the transient Universe. Yet, key populations remain poorly constrained, including the vast number of isolated stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars predicted to exist in the Milky Way.

Revealing these remnants motivates new survey architectures that extend current capabilities toward continuous temporal sampling, long-term photometric stability, and coordinated multi-wavelength coverage. Space-based platforms provide a powerful complement to ground-based facilities by enabling higher temporal coverage and stable observing conditions over wide fields, while ground-based surveys deliver depth, mature pipelines, and rapid follow-up ecosystems.

In this talk, I will outline a path toward this next generation of survey missions. I will begin by showing how a space-based, all-sky optical survey—exemplified by the CuRIOS mission and its technology demonstrator CuRIOS-ED—can detect the faint, long-duration microlensing signals that trace isolated compact objects in the Milky Way. I will then show how small, scalable gamma-ray monitors such as the BTO instrument on the NASA-funded COSI satellite can further our understanding of compact object formation by capturing the high-energy signatures associated with their birth in supernovae and merger events. Together, these efforts outline a scalable, multi-wavelength survey framework for tracing compact objects across their life cycle.