The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. II. UV, Optical, and Near-infrared Light Curves and Comparison to Kilonova Models

Cowperthwaite, P. S.; Berger, E.; Villar, V. Ashley; Metzger, Brian D.; Nicholl, M.; Chornock, R.; Blanchard, P. K.; Fong, Wen‐fai; Margutti, R.; Soares-Santos, M.; Alexander, K. D.; Allam, S.; Annis, J.; Brout, Dillon; Brown, D.; Butler, Robert E.; Chen, H.-Y.; Diehl, H. T.; Doctor, Z.; Drout, M. R.; Eftekhari, Tarraneh; Farr, B.; Finley, D. A.; Foley, R. J.; Frieman, J.; Fryer, Chris L.; García-Bellido, J.; Gill, M. S. S.; Guillochon, James; Herner, K.; Holz, D. E.; Kasen, Daniel; Keßler, R.; Marriner, J.; Matheson, T.; Neilsen, Eric H.; Quataert, Eliot; Palmese, A.; Rest, A.; Sako, M.; Scolnic, D.; Smith, Nathan; Tucker, D. L.; Williams, Paul; Balbinot, E.; Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Cook, Erika; Durret, F.; Li, T. S.; Lopes, P. A. A.; Lourenço, A. C. C.; Marshall, J. L.; Medina, G. E.; Muir, J.; Munoz, Robyn L.; Sauseda, M.; Schlegel, David J.; Secco, L. F.; Vivas, A. K.; Wester, W. C.; Zenteno, A.; Zhang, Yun-Hao; Abbott, T. M. C.; Banerji, M.; Bechtol, K.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bertin, E.; Buckley‐Geer, E.; Burke, D. L.; Capozzi, D.; Rosell, A. Carnero; Kind, M. Carrasco; Castander, F. J.; Crocce, M.; Cunha, Carlos E.; D’Andrea, C. B.; Costa, L. N. da; Davis, C.; DePoy, D. L.; Desai, S.; Dietrich, J. P.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Eifler, T. F.; Evrard, A. E.; Fernandez, Elizabeth R.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Gaztañaga, E.; Gerdes, D. W.; Giannantonio, T.; Goldstein, D. A.; Gruen, D.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gutiérrez, G.; Honscheid, K.; Jain, B.; James, D J; Jeltema, T.; Johnson, M. W. G.; Johnson, M. D.; Kent, S.; Krause, E.; Kron, Richard G.; Kuehn, K.; Nuropatkin, N.; Lahav, O.; Lima, M.; Lin, H.; Maia, M. A. G.; March, M.; Martini, Paul; McMahon, R. G.; Menanteau, F.; Miller, Carol J.; Miquel, R.; Mohr, J. J.; Neilsen, E.; Nichol, Robert C.; Ogando, R. L. C.; Plazas, A. A.; Roe, N.; Romer, A. K.; Roodman, A.; Rykoff, E. S.; Sánchez, E.; Scarpine, V.; Schindler, R.; Schubnell, M; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, M.; Smith, R. C.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Tarlé, G.; Thomas, D.; Thomas, R. C.; Troxel, M. A.; Vikram, V.; Walker, A. R.; Wechsler, Risa H.; Weller, J.; Yanny, B.; Zuntz, J.

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa8fc7

articleThe Astrophysical Journal LettersOct 16, 2017BRONZE OA

The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. II. UV, Optical, and Near-infrared Light Curves and Comparison to Kilonova Models

PSP. S. Cowperthwaite EBE. Berger VAV. Ashley Villar BDBrian D. Metzger MNM. Nicholl

Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian · Columbia University · +61 more institutions

Indexed inarxivcrossrefdoaj

Abstract

We present the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) discovery of the optical counterpart of the first binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational-wave emission, GW170817. Our observations commenced 10.5 hr post-merger, as soon as the localization region became accessible from Chile. We imaged 70 deg2 in the i and z bands, covering 93% of the initial integrated localization probability, to a depth necessary to identify likely optical counterparts (e.g., a kilonova). At 11.4 hr post-merger we detected a bright optical transient located 10.6 from the nucleus of NGC 4993 at redshift z=0.0098, consistent (for H0 = 70 km s−1 Mpc−1) with the distance of 40±8 Mpc reported by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and…

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Topics & keywords

Topics

Keywords

Physics
Kilonova
Astrophysics
Neutron star
LIGO
Photometry (optics)
Light curve
Spectral energy distribution

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