Multi-band Time-domain Astronomy Group focus on studying violent variable astronomical objects with multi-band large scale surveys.

The group is carrying out SVOM mission. SVOM (Space-based multiband astronomical Variable Objects Monitor) is a mission dedicated to studying Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The mission has been approved jointly by both Chinese and French space agencies. The satellite will have an orbit with an altitude of 600~650 km and an inclination of 29°. The system Critical Definition Review (CDR) was carried out by CNSA and CNES in July 2020. It was planned to be in orbit in 2022. The scientific objectives of SVOM put a special emphasis on two categories of GRBs: very distant GRBs at z>5 which constitute exceptional cosmological probes, and faint/soft nearby GRBs which allow probing the nature of the progenitors and the physics at work in the explosion. These goals have a major impact on the design of the mission: the on-board hard X-ray imager is sensitive down to 4 keV and computes online image and rate triggers, and the follow-up telescopes on the ground are sensitive in the NIR. The SVOM instrumentation, primarily designed for GRB studies, composes a unique multi-wavelength observatory with rapid slew capability and quick command up-link capability. Therefore, SVOM will also be a powerful target-of-opportunity observatory for the whole astronomy community beyond the specific objectives linked to GRBs.

The group is also studying a concept of space mission to survey the near ultraviolet sky with high cadence together with colleagues from several institutes and universities.