The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. III. Optical and UV Spectra of a Blue Kilonova from Fast Polar Ejecta

dc.creatorNicholl, M.
dc.creatorBerger, E.
dc.creatorKasen, D.
dc.creatorMetzger, B. D.
dc.creatorElias, J.
dc.creatorBriceño, C.
dc.creatorAlexander, K. D.
dc.creatorBlanchard, P. K.
dc.creatorChornock, R.
dc.creatorCowperthwaite, P. S.
dc.creatorEftekhari, T.
dc.creatorFong, W.
dc.creatorMargutti, R.
dc.creatorVillar, V. A.
dc.creatorWilliams, P. K. G.
dc.creatorBrown, W.
dc.creatorAnnis, J.
dc.creatorBahramian, A.
dc.creatorBrout, D.
dc.creatorBrown, D. A.
dc.creatorChen, H. Y.
dc.creatorClemens, J. C.
dc.creatorDennihy, E.
dc.creatorDunlap, B.
dc.creatorHolz, D. E.
dc.creatorMarchesini, Ezequiel Joaquín
dc.creatorMassaro, F.
dc.creatorMoskowitz, N.
dc.creatorPelisoli, I.
dc.creatorRest, A.
dc.creatorRicci, F.
dc.creatorSako, M.
dc.creatorSoares-Santos, M.
dc.creatorStrader, J.
dc.date2017-10-20
dc.date2019-12-13T14:08:36Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-07-14T17:41:17Z
dc.date.available2023-07-14T17:41:17Z
dc.identifierhttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/87367
dc.identifierissn:2041-8205
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorioslatinoamericanos.uchile.cl/handle/2250/7428448
dc.descriptionWe present optical and ultraviolet spectra of the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational-wave (GW) source, the binary neutron star merger GW170817. Spectra were obtained nightly between 1.5 and 9.5 days post-merger, using the Southern Astrophysical Research and Magellan telescopes; the UV spectrum was obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope at 5.5 days. Our data reveal a rapidly fading blue component (T ≈ 5500 K at 1.5 days) that quickly reddens; spectra later than ≳4.5 days peak beyond the optical regime. The spectra are mostly featureless, although we identify a possible weak emission line at ∼7900 Å; at t ≲ 4.5 days. The colors, rapid evolution, and featureless spectrum are consistent with a "blue" kilonova from polar ejecta comprised mainly of light r-process nuclei with atomic mass number A ≲ 140. This indicates a sightline within θobs ≲ 45° of the orbital axis. Comparison to models suggests ∼0.03 M o of blue ejecta, with a velocity of . The required lanthanide fraction is ∼10-4, but this drops to <10-5in the outermost ejecta. The large velocities point to a dynamical origin, rather than a disk wind, for this blue component, suggesting that both binary constituents are neutron stars (as opposed to a binary consisting of a neutron star and a black hole). For dynamical ejecta, the high mass favors a small neutron star radius of ≲12 km. This mass also supports the idea that neutron star mergers are a major contributor to r-process nucleosynthesis.
dc.descriptionLa lista completa de autores que integran el documento puede consultarse en el archivo
dc.descriptionInstituto de Astrofísica de La Plata
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.languageen
dc.rightshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.subjectFísica
dc.subjectbinaries: close
dc.subjectgravitational waves
dc.subjectnuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances
dc.subjectstars: neutron
dc.titleThe Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. III. Optical and UV Spectra of a Blue Kilonova from Fast Polar Ejecta
dc.typeArticulo
dc.typeArticulo


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