| Literature DB >> 29038371 |
P A Evans1, S B Cenko2,3, J A Kennea4, S W K Emery5, N P M Kuin5, O Korobkin6, R T Wollaeger6, C L Fryer6, K K Madsen7, F A Harrison7, Y Xu7, E Nakar8, K Hotokezaka9, A Lien10,11, S Campana12, S R Oates13, E Troja2,14, A A Breeveld5, F E Marshall2, S D Barthelmy2, A P Beardmore15, D N Burrows4, G Cusumano16, A D'Aì16, P D'Avanzo12, V D'Elia17,18, M de Pasquale19, W P Even6,20, C J Fontes6, K Forster7, J Garcia7, P Giommi18, B Grefenstette7, C Gronwall4,21, D H Hartmann22, M Heida7, A L Hungerford6, M M Kasliwal23, H A Krimm24,25, A J Levan13, D Malesani26, A Melandri12, H Miyasaka7, J A Nousek4, P T O'Brien15, J P Osborne15, C Pagani15, K L Page15, D M Palmer27, M Perri17,18, S Pike7, J L Racusin2, S Rosswog28, M H Siegel4, T Sakamoto29, B Sbarufatti4, G Tagliaferri12, N R Tanvir15, A Tohuvavohu4.
Abstract
With the first direct detection of merging black holes in 2015, the era of gravitational wave (GW) astrophysics began. A complete picture of compact object mergers, however, requires the detection of an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart. We report ultraviolet (UV) and x-ray observations by Swift and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array of the EM counterpart of the binary neutron star merger GW170817. The bright, rapidly fading UV emission indicates a high mass (≈0.03 solar masses) wind-driven outflow with moderate electron fraction (Ye ≈ 0.27). Combined with the x-ray limits, we favor an observer viewing angle of ≈30° away from the orbital rotation axis, which avoids both obscuration from the heaviest elements in the orbital plane and a direct view of any ultrarelativistic, highly collimated ejecta (a γ-ray burst afterglow).Entities:
Year: 2017 PMID: 29038371 DOI: 10.1126/science.aap9580
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Science ISSN: 0036-8075 Impact factor: 47.728