Tools
Tools
Tanvir, NR, Levan, AJ, Gonzalez-Fernandez, C, Korobkin, O, Mandel, I, Rosswog, S, Hjorth, J, D'Avanzo, P, Fruchter, AS, Fryer, CL, Kangas, T, Milvang-Jensen, B, Rosetti, S, Steeghs, D, Wollaeger, RT, Cano, Z, Copperwheat, CM, Covino, S, D'Elia, V, de Ugarte Postigo, A , Evans, PA, Even, WP, Fairhurst, S, Jaimes, RF, Fontes, CJ, Fujii, YI, Fynbo, JPU, Gompertz, BP, Greiner, J, Hodosan, G, Irwin, MJ, Jakobsson, P, Jorgensen, UG, Kann, DA, Lyman, JD, Malesani, D, McMahon, RG, Melandri, A, O'Brien, PT, Osborne, JP, Palazzi, E, Perley, DA, Pian, E, Piranomonte, S, Rabus, M, Rol, E, Rowlinson, A, Schulze, S, Sutton, P, Thone, CC, Ulaczyk, K, Watson, D, Wiersema, K and Wijers, RAMJ (2017) The Emergence of a Lanthanide-rich Kilonova Following the Merger of Two Neutron Stars. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 848 (2). ISSN 2041-8205
|
Text
The Emergence of a Lanthanide-rich Kilonova Following the Merger of Two Neutron Stars.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
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 ${K}_{{\rm{s}}}$-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 $A\approx 195$). 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.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | 0201 Astronomical And Space Sciences |
| Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics |
| Divisions: | Astrophysics Research Institute |
| Publisher: | American Astronomical Society; IOP Publishing |
| Related URLs: | |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Nov 2017 11:17 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Sep 2021 11:02 |
| DOI or ID number: | 10.3847/2041-8213/aa90b6 |
| URI: | https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/7488 |
 |
View Item |