posted on 2017-11-27, 12:09authored byN. R. Tanvir, A. J. Levan, C. González-Fernández, O. Korobkin, I. Mandel, S. Rosswog, J. Hjorth, P. D'Avanzo, A. S. Fruchter, C. L. Fryer, T. Kangas, B. Milvang-Jensen, S. Rosetti, D. Steeghs, R. T. Wollaeger, Z. Cano, C. M. Copperwheat, S. Covino, V. D'Elia, A. de Ugarte Postigo, P. A. Evans, W. P. Even, S. Fairhurst, R. F. Jaimes, C. J. Fontes, Y. I. Fujii, J. P. U. Fynbo, B. P. Gompertz, J. Greiner, G. Hodosan, M. J. Irwin, P. Jakobsson, U. G. Jørgensen, D. A. Kann, J. D. Lyman, D. Malesani, R. G. McMahon, A. Melandri, P. T. O'Brien, J. P. Osborne, E. Palazzi, D. A. Perley, E. Pian, S. Piranomonte, M. Rabus, E. Rol, A. Rowlinson, S. Schulze, P. Sutton, C. C. Thöne, K. Ulaczyk, D. Watson, K. Wiersema, R. A. M. J. Wijers
We report the discovery and monitoring of the near-infrared counterpart (AT2017gfo) of a binary neutron-star
merger event detected as a gravitational wave source by Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo (GW170817) and as a short gamma-ray burst by Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor
(GBM) and Integral SPI-ACS (GRB 170817A). The evolution of the transient light is consistent with predictions
for the behavior of a “kilonova/macronova” powered by the radioactive decay of massive neutron-rich nuclides
created via r-process nucleosynthesis in the neutron-star ejecta. In particular, evidence for this scenario is found
from broad features seen in Hubble Space Telescope infrared spectroscopy, similar to those predicted for
lanthanide-dominated ejecta, and the much slower evolution in the near-infrared Ks-band compared to the optical.
This indicates that the late-time light is dominated by high-opacity lanthanide-rich ejecta, suggesting
nucleosynthesis to the third r-process peak (atomic masses A » 195). This discovery confirms that neutron-star
mergers produce kilo-/macronovae and that they are at least a major—if not the dominant—site of rapid neutron capture nucleosynthesis in the universe.
Funding
The observations with VISTA were gathered by the ESO VINROUGE Survey (198.D-2010). Observations also used data from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS: 179.A-2010).
HST observations were obtained using programs GO 14771 (PI: Tanvir), GO 14804 (PI: Levan), and GO 14850 (PI: Troja).
VLT observations were obtained using programs 099.D-0688, 099.D-0116, and 099.D-0622.
N.R.T., K.W., P.T.O., J.L.O., and S.R. acknowledge support from STFC.
A.J.L., D.S., and J.D.L. acknowledge support from STFC via grant ST/P000495/1.
N.R.T. and A.J.L. have received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement No. 725246, TEDE, Levan).
I.M. acknowledges partial support from the STFC.
Ad.U.P., C.T., Z.C., and D.A.K. acknowledge support from the Spanish project AYA 2014-58381-P. Z.C. also acknowledges support from the Juan de la Cierva Incorporación fellowship IJCI-2014-21669, and D.A.K. from Juan de la Cierva Incorporación fellowship IJCI-2015-26153.
J.H. is supported by a VILLUM FONDEN Investigator grant (project number 16599).
P.D.A., S.C., and A.M. acknowledge support from the ASI grant I/004/11/3.
S.R. has been supported by the Swedish Research Council (VR) under grant No. 2016-03657_3, by the Swedish National Space Board under grant No. Dnr. 107/16, and by the research environment grant "Gravitational Radiation and Electromagnetic Astrophysical Transients (GREAT)" funded by the Swedish Research council (VR) under Dnr 2016-06012.
P.A.E. acknowledges UKSA support.
The VISTA observations were processed by C.G.F. at the Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit (CASU), which is funded by the UK Science and Technology Research Council under grant ST/N005805/1.
This research used resources provided by the Los Alamos National Laboratory Institutional Computing Program, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under contra
History
Citation
Astrophysical Journal Letters , 2017, 848 (2)
Author affiliation
/Organisation/COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING/Department of Physics and Astronomy