Detection of short high-energy transients in the localuniverse with SVOM/ECLAIRs

Abstract

The coincidental detection of the gravitational wave event GW 170817 and the associated gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A marked the advent of multi-messenger astronomy and represented a milestone in the study of GRBs. Significant progress in this field is expected in the coming years with the increased sensitivity of gravitational waves detectors and the launch of new facilities for the high-energy survey of the sky. In this context, the launch of SVOM in mid-2022, with its two widefield high-energy instruments ECLAIRs and GRM, will foster the possibilities of coincidental transient detection with gravitational waves and gamma-rays events. The purpose of this paper is to assess the ability of SVOM /ECLAIRs to detect and quickly characterize high-energy transients in the local Universe (z ≤ 0.3), and to discuss the contribution of this instrument to multi-messenger astronomy and to gamma-ray burst (GRB) astrophysics in the 2020's. A list of local HE