A kilonova as the electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational-wave source

Nature
S J SmarttO Yaron

Abstract

Gravitational waves were discovered with the detection of binary black-hole mergers and they should also be detectable from lower-mass neutron-star mergers. These are predicted to eject material rich in heavy radioactive isotopes that can power an electromagnetic signal. This signal is luminous at optical and infrared wavelengths and is called a kilonova. The gravitational-wave source GW170817 arose from a binary neutron-star merger in the nearby Universe with a relatively well confined sky position and distance estimate. Here we report observations and physical modelling of a rapidly fading electromagnetic transient in the galaxy NGC 4993, which is spatially coincident with GW170817 and with a weak, short γ-ray burst. The transient has physical parameters that broadly match the theoretical predictions of blue kilonovae from neutron-star mergers. The emitted electromagnetic radiation can be explained with an ejected mass of 0.04 ± 0.01 solar masses, with an opacity of less than 0.5 square centimetres per gram, at a velocity of 0.2 ± 0.1 times light speed. The power source is constrained to have a power-law slope of -1.2 ± 0.3, consistent with radioactive powering from r-process nuclides. (The r-process is a series of neutron ca...Continue Reading

References

Feb 27, 2016·Physical Review Letters·B P AbbottUNKNOWN LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration
Jun 6, 2017·Living Reviews in Relativity·Brian D Metzger
Nov 4, 2017·Physical Review Letters·B P AbbottUNKNOWN LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration

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Citations

Dec 31, 2019·Living Reviews in Relativity·Brian D Metzger
May 5, 2018·Living Reviews in Relativity·B P AbbottUNKNOWN KAGRA Collaboration, LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration
Mar 2, 2019·Physical Review Letters·Meng-Ru WuB D Metzger
Oct 28, 2019·Nature·Darach WatsonElena Pian
Aug 19, 2020·Nature Communications·Michael W CoughlinNandita Khetan
Oct 6, 2020·Living Reviews in Relativity·B P AbbottUNKNOWN KAGRA Collaboration, LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration
Sep 1, 2018·Physical Review Letters·Huan Yang, Denis Martynov
Mar 18, 2021·Nature Reviews Physics·Andrew J Levan, Peter G Jonker
Mar 27, 2020··Roland Diehl, Roland Diehl

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