Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the optical counterpart to a gravitational wave source

Coulter, D. A.; Foley, R. J.; Kilpatrick, C. D.; Drout, M. R.; Piro, Anthony L.; Shappee, B. J.; Siebert, M. R.; Simon, Joshua D.; Ulloa, Natalie; Kasen, Daniel; Madore, Barry F.; Murguia-Berthier, Ariadna; Pan, Y.-C.; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Ramírez-Ruiz, E.; Rest, A.; Rojas-Bravo, C.

doi:10.1126/science.aap9811

Cited by 1,129 publications

(956 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…This multimessenger data provided convincing answers to many outstanding questions. For instance, the detection of a short gamma ray burst (GRB) 1.7 seconds after GW170817 [24][25][26], and subsequent kilonova [27][28][29][30][31][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44], confirmed that BNS mergers are a progenitor of these events. Lanthanide signatures in the kilonova light curves also showed BNS mergers to be a major site for nucleosynthesis of elements heavier than iron [40,44,47,48].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Localization of binary neutron star mergers with second and third generation gravitational-wave detectors

Mills¹,

Tiwari²,

Fairhurst³

2018

Phys. Rev. D

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The observation of gravitational wave signals from binary black hole and binary neutron star mergers has established the field of gravitational wave astronomy. It is expected that future networks of gravitational wave detectors will possess great potential in probing various aspects of astronomy. An important consideration for successive improvement of current detectors or establishment on new sites is knowledge of the minimum number of detectors required to perform precision astronomy. We attempt to answer this question by assessing the ability of future detector networks to detect and localize binary neutron stars mergers on the sky. Good localization ability is crucial for many of the scientific goals of gravitational wave astronomy, such as electromagnetic follow-up, measuring the properties of compact binaries throughout cosmic history, and cosmology. We find that although two detectors at improved sensitivity are sufficient to get a substantial increase in the number of observed signals, at least three detectors of comparable sensitivity are required to localize majority of the signals, typically to within around 10 deg 2 -adequate for follow-up with most wide field of view optical telescopes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Localization of binary neutron star mergers with second and third generation gravitational-wave detectors

Mills¹,

Tiwari²,

Fairhurst³

2018

Phys. Rev. D

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“…While the sky localizations of both events were large, they overlapped, and the combined spatial and temporal coincidence suggested causal association (LIGO Scientific Collaboration & Virgo Collaboration 2017, in preparation). Numerous groups undertook searches of the resulting GW-error region, revealing a counterpart in NGC 4993 (Coulter et al 2017a(Coulter et al , 2017b, independently confirmed by several groups (Allam et al 2017;Arcavi et al 2017;Lipunov et al 2017;Yang et al 2017). The counterpart, known as SSS17a/AT2017gfo, was seen to brighten in the IR and then dramatically redden in the following nights (Evans et al 2017;Pian et al 2017;Smartt et al 2017;, revealing broad features consistent with the expectations for a transient driven by heavy element (r-process) nucleosynthesis, often dubbed a kilonova (Li & Paczyński 1998;Metzger & Berger 2012;Barnes & Kasen 2013).…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Environment of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817

Levan

Lyman

Tanvir

et al. 2017

ApJL

148

131

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We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Chandra imaging, combined with Very Large Telescope MUSE integral field spectroscopy of the counterpart and host galaxy of the first binary neutron star merger detected via gravitational-wave emission by LIGO and Virgo, GW170817. The host galaxy, NGC 4993, is an S0 galaxy at z=0.009783. There is evidence for large, face-on spiral shells in continuum imaging, and edge-on spiral features visible in nebular emission lines. This suggests that NGC 4993 has undergone a relatively recent ( 1  Gyr) "dry" merger. This merger may provide the fuel for a weak active nucleus seen in Chandra imaging. At the location of the counterpart, HST imaging implies there is no globular or young stellar cluster, with a limit of a few thousand solar masses for any young system. The population in the vicinity is predominantly old with 1% of any light arising from a population with ages 500 Myr < . Both the host galaxy properties and those of the transient location are consistent with the distributions seen for short-duration gamma-ray bursts, although the source position lies well within the effective radius (r 3 e~k pc), providing an r e -normalized offset that is closer than 90% of short GRBs. For the long delay time implied by the stellar population, this suggests that the kick velocity was significantly less than the galaxy escape velocity. We do not see any narrow host galaxy interstellar medium features within the counterpart spectrum, implying low extinction, and that the binary may lie in front of the bulk of the host galaxy.

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“…Verifying the existence of a prompt low-frequency radio counterpart to NS-NS(BH) merger events has taken on new significance with the detection of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 in GWs and the detection of its counterparts across the electromagnetic spectrum (Abbott et al 2017c(Abbott et al , 2017dCoulter et al 2017;Evans et al 2017;Hallinan et al 2017;Kasliwal et al 2017;Troja et al 2017). Strategies for follow-up of GW events with EM facilities are now being regularly deployed as GW alerts are released to partner observers and facilities, spanning the entire EM spectrum from radio to gamma-rays, and including neutrino facilities (Singer et al 2014).…”

Section: Gravitational Wave Follow-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Simultaneous Search for Prompt Radio Emission Associated with the Short GRB 170112A Using the All-sky Imaging Capability of the OVRO-LWA

Anderson

Hallinan

Eastwood

et al. 2018

ApJ

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We have conducted the most sensitive low-frequency (below 100 MHz) search to date for prompt, low-frequency radio emission associated with short-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), using the Owens Valley Radio Observatory Long Wavelength Array (OVRO-LWA). The OVRO-LWA's nearly full-hemisphere field of view (∼20,000 square degrees) allows us to search for low-frequency (sub-100 MHz) counterparts for a large sample of the subset of GRB events for which prompt radio emission has been predicted. Following the detection of short GRB 170112A by Swift, we used all-sky OVRO-LWA images spanning one hour prior to and two hours following the GRB event to search for a transient source coincident with the position of GRB 170112A. We detect no transient source to within a 3σ flux density limit of 4.5Jy at 13 s timescales for frequencies spanning 27-84MHz. We place constraints on a number of models predicting prompt, low-frequency radio emission accompanying short GRBs and their potential binary neutron star merger progenitors, and place an upper limit of L radio / L γ 3.5×10−6 on the fraction of energy released in the prompt radio emission, under the assumptions of negligible scattering of the radio pulse and beaming of emission along the line of sight. These observations serve as a pilot effort for a program targeting a wider sample of both short and long GRBs with the OVRO-LWA, including bursts with confirmed redshift measurements that are critical to placing constraining limits on prompt radio emission models, as well as a program for the follow-up of gravitational wave compact binary coalescence events detected by advanced LIGO and Virgo.

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Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the optical counterpart to a gravitational wave source

Cited by 1,129 publications

References 54 publications

Localization of binary neutron star mergers with second and third generation gravitational-wave detectors

Localization of binary neutron star mergers with second and third generation gravitational-wave detectors

The Environment of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817

A Simultaneous Search for Prompt Radio Emission Associated with the Short GRB 170112A Using the All-sky Imaging Capability of the OVRO-LWA

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