1. The Emergence of a Lanthanide-rich Kilonova Following the Merger of Two Neutron Stars
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Ryan Wollaeger, Antonia Rowlinson, C. C. Thoene, Ilya Mandel, Johan P. U. Fynbo, Krzysztof Ulaczyk, Stefano Covino, Valerio D'Elia, J. D. Lyman, D. Malesani, Oleg Korobkin, T. Kangas, P. D'Avanzo, Richard G. McMahon, Darach Watson, E. Rol, A. de Ugarte Postigo, A. S. Fruchter, Zach Cano, Eliana Palazzi, Markus Rabus, Mike Irwin, J. P. Osborne, Patrick J. Sutton, G. Hodosan, Daniel A. Perley, A. Melandri, Jochen Greiner, Andrew J. Levan, P. A. Evans, Jens Hjorth, U. G. Jørgensen, D. A. Kann, R. Figuera Jaimes, Christopher J. Fontes, Klaas Wiersema, Carlos González-Fernández, Elena Pian, B. P. Gompertz, Chris M. Copperwheat, S. Piranomonte, Ralph A. M. J. Wijers, Stephen Fairhurst, Steve Schulze, P. T. O'Brien, Chris L. Fryer, Stephan Rosswog, Nial R. Tanvir, Wesley Even, Danny Steeghs, S. Rosetti, Yuri I. Fujii, Pall Jakobsson, B. Milvang-Jensen, European Research Council, Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (España), Swedish Research Council, High Energy Astrophys. & Astropart. Phys (API, FNWI), Raunvísindastofnun (HÍ), Science Institute (UI), Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland, Tanvir, NR [0000-0003-3274-6336], Korobkin, O [0000-0003-4156-5342], Hjorth, J [0000-0002-4571-2306], Fryer, CL [0000-0003-2624-0056], Milvang-Jensen, B [0000-0002-2281-2785], Cano, Z [0000-0001-9509-3825], Covino, S [0000-0001-9078-5507], Even, WP [0000-0002-5412-3618], Fairhurst, S [0000-0001-8480-1961], Fujii, YI [0000-0002-3648-0507], Irwin, MJ [0000-0002-2191-9038], Kann, DA [0000-0003-2902-3583], Malesani, D [0000-0002-7517-326X], McMahon, RG [0000-0001-8447-8869], Perley, DA [0000-0001-8472-1996], Pian, E [0000-0001-8646-4858], Rabus, M [0000-0003-2935-7196], Watson, D [0000-0002-4465-8264], Wiersema, K [0000-0002-9133-7957], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository, University of St Andrews. School of Physics and Astronomy, and University of St Andrews. St Andrews Centre for Exoplanet Science
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Nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances ,Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,FOS: Physical sciences ,Astrophysics ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,Kilonova ,01 natural sciences ,7. Clean energy ,Gravitational waves ,stars: neutron ,Nucleosynthesis, abundances ,Nucleosynthesis ,0103 physical sciences ,QB Astronomy ,Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics ,Abundances ,Ejecta ,010303 astronomy & astrophysics ,QC ,nuclear reactions ,Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics ,QB ,High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE) ,Physics ,010308 nuclear & particles physics ,Gravitational wave ,abundances ,nucleosynthesis ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,neutron [Stars] ,3rd-DAS ,Stjarneðlisfræði ,LIGO ,Hubblessjónaukinn ,Neutron star ,QC Physics ,gravitational waves ,Space and Planetary Science ,Stjörnufræði ,Nuclear reactions ,Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Radioactive decay ,Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope - Abstract
Tanvir, N.R. et. al., 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-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., 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). 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 Incorporacion fellowship IJCI-2014-21669, and D.A.K. from Juan de la Cierva Incorporacion 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.
- Published
- 2017
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