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1. Optical follow-up of gravitational wave triggers with DECam during the first two LIGO/VIRGO observing runs

Author

Herner, K., Annis, J., Brout, D., Soares-Santos, M., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Butler, R., Doctor, Z., Palmese, A., Allam, S., Tucker, D.L., Sobreira, F., Yanny, B., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Glaeser, N., Garcia, A., Sherman, N.F., Bechtol, K., Berger, E., Chen, H.Y., Conselice, C.J., Cook, E., Cowperthwaite, P.S., Davis, T.M., Drlica-Wagner, A., Farr, B., Finley, D., Foley, R.J., Garcia-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Holz, D.E., Kuropatkin, N., Lin, H., Marriner, J., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Neilsen, E., Paz-Chinchón, F., Sauseda, M., Scolnic, D., Williams, P.K.G., Avila, S., Bertin, E., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Carrasco-Kind, M., Carretero, J., da Costa, L.N., De Vicente, J., Desai, S., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Everett, S., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Hartley, W.G., Hollowood, D.L., Honscheid, K., James, D.J., Krause, E., Kuehn, K., Lahav, O., Li, T.S., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Plazas, A.A., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Serrano, S., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Suchyta, E., Tarle, G., Wester, W., and Zhang, Y.

Published
2020
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2. Deja Vu All Over Again: The Reappearance of Supernova Refsdal

Author

Kelly, P.L, Rodney, S.A, Treu, T, Strolger, L.-G, Foley, R.J, Jha, S.W, Selsing, J, Brammer, G, Bradac, M, and Cenko, S. B

Subjects
Astrophysics
Abstract

In Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging taken on 2014 November 10, four images of supernova (SN) Refsdal(redshift z1.49) appeared in an Einstein-cross-like configuration (images S1S4) around an early-type galaxy in the cluster MACS J1149.5+2223 (z0.54). Almost all lens models of the cluster have predicted that the SN should reappear within a year in a second host-galaxy image created by the clusters potential. In HST observations taken on 2015 December 11, we find a new source at the predicted position of the new image of SN Refsdal approximately 8 from the previous images S1S4. This marks the first time the appearance of a SN at a particular time and location in the sky was successfully predicted in advance! We use these data and the light curve from the first four observed images of SN Refsdal to place constraints on the relative time delay and magnification of the new image (SX) compared to images S1S4. This enables us, for the first time, to test blind lens model predictions of both magnifications and time delays for a lensed SN. We find that the timing and brightness of the new image are consistent with the blind predictions of a fraction of the models. The reappearance illustrates the discriminatory power of this blind test and its utility to uncover sources of systematic uncertainty. From planned HST photometry, we expect to reach a precision of 12 on the time delay between S1S4 and SX.

Published
2016
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3. Slowly fading super-luminous supernovae that are not pair-instability explosions

Author

Nicholl, M., Smartt, S.J., Jerkstrand, A., Inserra, C., McCrum, M., Kotak, R., Fraser, M., Wright, D., Chen, T.-W., Smith, K., Young, D.R., Sim, S.A., Valenti, S., Howell, D.A., Bresolin, F., Kudritzki, R.P., Tonry, J.L., Huber, M.E., Rest, A., Pastorello, A., Tomasella, L., Cappellaro, E., Benetti, S., Mattila, S., Kankare, E., Kangas, T., Leloudas, G., Sollerman, J., Taddia, F., Berger, E., Chornock, R., Narayan, G., Stubbs, C.W., Foley, R.J., Lunnan, R., Soderberg, A., Sanders, N., Milisavljevic, D., Margutti, R., Kirshner, R.P., Elias-Rosa, N., Morales-Garoffolo, A., Taubenberger, S., Botticella, M.T., Gezari, S., Urata, Y., Rodney, S., Riess, A.G., Scolnic, D., Wood-Vasey, W.M., Burgett, W.S., Chambers, K., Flewelling, H.A., Magnier, E.A., Kaiser, N., Metcalfe, N., Morgan, J., Price, P.A., Sweeney, W., and Waters, C.

Subjects
Supernovae -- Observations -- Spectra, Luminosity (Astronomy) -- Observations, Environmental issues, Science and technology, Zoology and wildlife conservation
Abstract

Super-luminous supernovae (1-4) that radiate more than [10.sup.44] ergs per second at their peak luminosity have recently been discovered in faint galaxies at redshifts of 0.1-4. Some evolve slowly, resembling models of 'pair-instability' supernovae (5,6). Such models involve stars with original masses 140-260 times that of the Sun that now have carbon-oxygen cores of 65-130 solar masses. In these stars, the photons that prevent gravitational collapse are converted to electron-positron pairs, causing rapid contraction and thermonuclear explosions. Many solar masses of [sup.56]Ni are synthesized; this isotope decays to [sup.56]Fe via [sup.56]Co, powering bright light curves (7,8). Such massive progenitors are expected to have formed from metal-poor gas in the early Universe (9). Recently, supernova 2007 bi in a galaxy at redshift 0.127 (about 12 billion years after the Big Bang) with a metallicity one-third that of the Sun was observed to look like a fading pair-instability supernova (1,10). Here we report observations of two slow-to-fade super-luminous supernovae that show relatively fast rise times and blue colours, which are incompatible with pair-instability models. Their late-time light-curve and spectral similarities to supernova 2007bi call the nature of that event into question. Our early spectra closely resemble typical fast-declining super-luminous supernovae (2,11,12), which are not powered by radioactivity. Modelling our observations with 10-16 solar masses of magnetar-energized (13,14) ejecta demonstrates the possibility of a common explosion mechanism. The lack of unambiguous nearby pair-instability events suggests that their local rate of occurrence is less than 6 x [10.sup.-6] times that of the core-collapse rate., The discovery of a luminous transient, PTF 12dam, was first reported (15) by the Palomar Transient Factory on 23 May 2012. We recovered the transient in Pan-STARRS1 (Panoramic Survey Telescope [...]

Published
2013

4. AT 2019qyl in NGC 300: Internal Collisions in the Early Outflow from a Very Fast Nova in a Symbiotic Binary

Author

Jencson, J.E., Andrews, J.E., Bond, H.E., Karambelkar, V., Sand, D.J., Dyk, S.D. van, Blagorodnova, N., Boyer, M.L., Kasliwal, M.M., Lau, R.M., Mohamed, S., Williams, R., Whitelock, P.A., Amaro, R.C., Bostroem, K.A., Dong, Y., Lundquist, M.J., Valenti, S., Wyatt, S.D., Burke, J., De, K., Jha, S.W., Johansson, J., Rojas-Bravo, C., Coulter, D.A., Foley, R.J., Gehrz, R.D., Haislip, J., Hiramatsu, D., Howell, D.A., Kilpatrick, C.D., Masci, F.J., McCully, C., Ngeow, C.-C., Pan, Y.-C., Pellegrino, C., Piro, A.L., Kouprianov, V., Reichart, D.E., Rest, A., Rest, S., Smith, N., Jencson, J.E., Andrews, J.E., Bond, H.E., Karambelkar, V., Sand, D.J., Dyk, S.D. van, Blagorodnova, N., Boyer, M.L., Kasliwal, M.M., Lau, R.M., Mohamed, S., Williams, R., Whitelock, P.A., Amaro, R.C., Bostroem, K.A., Dong, Y., Lundquist, M.J., Valenti, S., Wyatt, S.D., Burke, J., De, K., Jha, S.W., Johansson, J., Rojas-Bravo, C., Coulter, D.A., Foley, R.J., Gehrz, R.D., Haislip, J., Hiramatsu, D., Howell, D.A., Kilpatrick, C.D., Masci, F.J., McCully, C., Ngeow, C.-C., Pan, Y.-C., Pellegrino, C., Piro, A.L., Kouprianov, V., Reichart, D.E., Rest, A., Rest, S., and Smith, N.

Abstract

Contains fulltext : 239353p.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Contains fulltext : 239353.pdf (Author’s version preprint ) (Open Access)

Published
2021

5. Seventeen Tidal Disruption Events from the First Half of ZTF Survey Observations: Entering a New Era of Population Studies

Author

Velzen, S. van, Gezari, S., Hammerstein, E., Roth, N., Frederick, S., Ward, C., Hung, T., Cenko, S.B., Stein, R., Perley, D.A., Taggart, K., Foley, R.J., Sollerman, J., Blagorodnova, N., Andreoni, I., Bellm, E.C., Brinnel, V., De, K., Dekany, R., Feeney, M., Fremling, C., Giomi, M., Golkhou, V.Z., Graham, M.J., Ho, A.Y.Q., Kasliwal, M.M., Kilpatrick, C.D., Kulkarni, S.R., Kupfer, T., Laher, R.R., Mahabal, A., Masci, F.J., Miller, A.A., Nordin, J., Riddle, R., Rusholme, B., Santen, J.v., Sharma, Y., Shupe, D.L., Soumagnac, M.T., Velzen, S. van, Gezari, S., Hammerstein, E., Roth, N., Frederick, S., Ward, C., Hung, T., Cenko, S.B., Stein, R., Perley, D.A., Taggart, K., Foley, R.J., Sollerman, J., Blagorodnova, N., Andreoni, I., Bellm, E.C., Brinnel, V., De, K., Dekany, R., Feeney, M., Fremling, C., Giomi, M., Golkhou, V.Z., Graham, M.J., Ho, A.Y.Q., Kasliwal, M.M., Kilpatrick, C.D., Kulkarni, S.R., Kupfer, T., Laher, R.R., Mahabal, A., Masci, F.J., Miller, A.A., Nordin, J., Riddle, R., Rusholme, B., Santen, J.v., Sharma, Y., Shupe, D.L., and Soumagnac, M.T.

Abstract

Contains fulltext : 230757.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access) Contains fulltext : 230757pre.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access)

Published
2021

6. A tidal disruption event coincident with a high-energy neutrino

Author

Stein, R., Velzen, S.V., Kowalski, M., Franckowiak, A., Gezari, S., Miller-Jones, James, Frederick, S., Sfaradi, I., Bietenholz, M.F., Horesh, A., Fender, R., Garrappa, S., Ahumada, T., Andreoni, I., Belicki, J., Bellm, E.C., Böttcher, M., Brinnel, V., Burruss, R., Cenko, S.B., Coughlin, M.W., Cunningham, V., Drake, A., Farrar, G.R., Feeney, M., Foley, R.J., Gal-Yam, A., Golkhou, V.Z., Goobar, A., Graham, M.J., Hammerstein, E., Helou, G., Hung, T., Kasliwal, M.M., Kilpatrick, C.D., Kong, A.K.H., Kupfer, T., Laher, R.R., Mahabal, A.A., Masci, F.J., Necker, J., Nordin, J., Perley, D.A., Rigault, M., Reusch, S., Rodriguez, H., Rojas-Bravo, C., Rusholme, B., Shupe, D.L., Singer, L.P., Sollerman, J., Soumagnac, M.T., Stern, D., Taggart, K., van Santen, J., Ward, C., Woudt, P., Yao, Y., Stein, R., Velzen, S.V., Kowalski, M., Franckowiak, A., Gezari, S., Miller-Jones, James, Frederick, S., Sfaradi, I., Bietenholz, M.F., Horesh, A., Fender, R., Garrappa, S., Ahumada, T., Andreoni, I., Belicki, J., Bellm, E.C., Böttcher, M., Brinnel, V., Burruss, R., Cenko, S.B., Coughlin, M.W., Cunningham, V., Drake, A., Farrar, G.R., Feeney, M., Foley, R.J., Gal-Yam, A., Golkhou, V.Z., Goobar, A., Graham, M.J., Hammerstein, E., Helou, G., Hung, T., Kasliwal, M.M., Kilpatrick, C.D., Kong, A.K.H., Kupfer, T., Laher, R.R., Mahabal, A.A., Masci, F.J., Necker, J., Nordin, J., Perley, D.A., Rigault, M., Reusch, S., Rodriguez, H., Rojas-Bravo, C., Rusholme, B., Shupe, D.L., Singer, L.P., Sollerman, J., Soumagnac, M.T., Stern, D., Taggart, K., van Santen, J., Ward, C., Woudt, P., and Yao, Y.

Abstract

Cosmic neutrinos provide a unique window into the otherwise hidden mechanism of particle acceleration in astrophysical objects. The IceCube Collaboration recently reported the likely association of one high-energy neutrino with a flare from the relativistic jet of an active galaxy pointed towards the Earth. However a combined analysis of many similar active galaxies revealed no excess from the broader population, leaving the vast majority of the cosmic neutrino flux unexplained. Here we present the likely association of a radio-emitting tidal disruption event, AT2019dsg, with a second high-energy neutrino. AT2019dsg was identified as part of our systematic search for optical counterparts to high-energy neutrinos with the Zwicky Transient Facility. The probability of finding any coincident radio-emitting tidal disruption event by chance is 0.5%, while the probability of finding one as bright in bolometric energy flux as AT2019dsg is 0.2%. Our electromagnetic observations can be explained through a multizone model, with radio analysis revealing a central engine, embedded in a UV photosphere, that powers an extended synchrotron-emitting outflow. This provides an ideal site for petaelectronvolt neutrino production. Assuming that the association is genuine, our observations suggest that tidal disruption events with mildly relativistic outflows contribute to the cosmic neutrino flux.

Published
2021

7. An ultraviolet-optical flare from the tidal disruption of a helium-rich stellar core

Author

Gezari, S., Chornock, R., Rest, A., Huber, M.E., Forster, K., Berger, E., Challis, P.J., Neill, J.D., Martin, D.C., Heckman, T., Lawrence, A., Norman, C., Narayan, G., Foley, R.J., Marion, G.H., Scolnic, D., Chomiuk, L., Soderberg, A., Smith, K., Kirshner, R.P., Riess, A.G., Smartt, S.J., Stubbs, C.W., Tonry, J.L., Wood-Vasey, W.M., Burgett, W.S., Chambers, K.C., Grav, T., Heasley, J.N., Kaiser, N., Kudritzki, R.-P., Magnier, E.A., Morgan, J.S., and Price, P.A.

Subjects
Tidal power -- Research, Nuclear radiation -- Research, Galaxies -- Observations, Environmental issues, Science and technology, Zoology and wildlife conservation
Abstract

The flare of radiation from the tidal disruption and accretion of a star can be used as a marker for supermassive black holes that otherwise lie dormant and undetected in the centres of distant galaxies (1). Previous candidate flares (2-6) have had declining light curves in good agreement with expectations, but with poor constraints on the time of disruption and the type of star disrupted, because the rising emission was not observed. Recently, two 'relativistic' candidate tidal disruption events were discovered, each of whose extreme X-ray luminosity and synchrotron radio emission were interpreted as the onset of emission from a relativistic jet (7-10). Here we report a luminous ultraviolet-optical flare from the nuclear region of an inactive galaxy at a redshift of 0.1696. The observed continuum is cooler than expected for a simple accreting debris disk, but the well-sampled rise and decay of the light curve follow the predicted mass accretion rate and can be modelled to determine the time of disruption to an accuracy of two days. The black hole has a mass of about two million solar masses, modulo a factor dependent on the mass and radius of the star disrupted. On the basis of the spectroscopic signature of ionized helium from the unbound debris, we determine that the disrupted star was a helium-rich stellar core., When the pericentre of a star's orbit ([R.sub.p]) passes within the tidal disruption radius of a massive black hole, [R.sub.T]≅[R.sub.*][([M.sub.BH]/[M.sub.*]).sup.1/3] (where [R.sub.*] the stellar radius, [M.sub.BH] is the black-hole mass [...]

Published
2012
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8. Light echoes reveal an unexpectedly cool η carinae during its nineteenth-century great eruption

Author

Rest, A., Prieto, J.L., Walborn, N.R., Smith, N., Bianco, F.B., Chornock, R., Welch, D.L., Howell, D.A., Huber, M.E., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Sinnott, B., Bond, H.E., Smith, R.C., Minniti, D., and Mandel, K.

Subjects
Supernovae -- Natural history, Stellar evolution -- Research, Astrophysics -- Research, Eta Carinae (Star) -- Natural history, Environmental issues, Science and technology, Zoology and wildlife conservation
Abstract

η Carinae is one of the most massive binary stars in the Milky Way (1,2). It became the second-brightest star in our sky during its mid-nineteenth-century 'Great Eruption', but then faded from view (with only naked-eye estimates of brightness (3,4)). Its eruption is unique in that it exceeded the Eddington luminosity limit for ten years. Because it is only 2.3 kiloparsecs away, spatially resolved studies of the nebula have constrained the ejected mass and velocity, indicating that during its nineteenth-century eruption, η Car ejected more than ten solar masses in an event that released ten per cent of the energy of a typical core-collapse supernova (5,6), without destroying the star. Here we report observations of light echoes of η Carinae from the 1838-1858 Great Eruption. Spectra of these light echoes show only absorption lines, which are blueshifted by -210 km [s.sup.-1], in good agreement with predicted expansion speeds (6). The light-echo spectra correlate best with those of G2-to-G5 supergiants, which have effective temperatures of around 5,000 kelvin. In contrast to the class of extragalactic outbursts assumed to be analogues of the Great Eruption of η Carinae (7-12), the effective temperature of its outburst is significantly lower than that allowed by standard opaque wind models (13). This indicates that other physical mechanisms such as an energetic blast wave may have triggered and influenced the eruption., η-Car-like giant eruptions of luminous blue variable stars are characterized by significant mass-loss and an increase in luminosity by several magnitudes (8,9). It has been thought that this increase in [...]

Published
2012

9. Supernova 2007bi as a pair-instability explosion

Author

Gal-Yam, A., Mazzali, P., Ofek, E.O., Nugent, P.E., Kulkarni, S.R., Kasliwal, M.M., Quimby, R.M., Filippenko, A.V., Cenko, S.B., Chornock, R., Waldman, R., Kasen, D., Sullivan, M., Beshore, E.C., Drake, A.J., Thomas, R.C., Bloom, J.S., Poznanski, D., Miller, A.A., Foley, R.J., Silverman, J.M., Arcavi, I., and Ellis, R.S.

Subjects
Supernovae -- Identification and classification -- Optical properties -- Chemical properties -- Analysis -- Research, Star formation -- Analysis -- Optical properties -- Research -- Chemical properties, Cosmochemistry -- Research -- Chemical properties -- Analysis -- Optical properties, Environmental issues, Science and technology, Zoology and wildlife conservation
Abstract

Stars with initial asses such that 10[M.sub.[??]] ≤ [M.sub.initial] ≤ 100[M.sub.[??]], where [M.sub.[??]] is the solar mass, fuse progressively heavier elements in their centres, until the core is inert iron. The core then gravitationally collapses to a neutron star or a black hole, leading to an explosion--an iron-core-collapse supernova (1,2). By contrast, extremely massive stars with [M.sub.initial] ≥ 140 [M.sub.[??]](if such exist) develop oxygen cores with masses, [M.sub.core], that exceed 50[M.sub.[??]], where high temperatures are reached at relatively low densities. Conversion of energetic, pressure-supporting photons into electron-positron pairs occurs before oxygen ignition and leads to a violent contraction which triggers a nuclear explosion (3-5) that unbinds the star in a pair-instability supernova. Transitional objects with 100[M.sub.[??]]3[M.sub.[??]] of radioactive [sup.56]Ni was synthesized during the explosion and that our observations are well fitted by models of pair-instability supernovae (9,10). This indicates that nearby dwarf galaxies probably host extremely massive stars, above the apparent Galactic stellar mass limit (11), which perhaps result from processes similar to those that created the first stars in the Universe., We identified a new optical transient (SNF20070406-008) on 2007 April 6.5 UT (universal time is used for all dates in this paper) at right ascension 13 h 19 min 20.2 [...]

Published
2009
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11. A relativistic type Ibc supernova without a detected γ-ray burst

Author

Soderberg, A.M., Chakraborti, S., Pignata, G., Chevalier, R.A., Chandra, P., Ray, A., Wieringa, M.H., Copete, A., Chaplin, V., Connaughton, V., Barthelmy, S.D., Bietenholz, M.F., Chugai, N., Stritzinger, M.D., Hamuy, M., Fransson, C., Fox, O., Levesque, E.M., Grindlay, J.E., Challis, P., Foley, R.J., Kirshner, R.P., Milne, P.A., and Torres, M.A.P.

Subjects
Supernovae -- Discovery and exploration -- Observations, Environmental issues, Science and technology, Zoology and wildlife conservation
Abstract

Long duration γ-ray bursts (GRBs) mark (1) the explosive death of some massive stars and are a rare sub-class of type Ibc supernovae. They are distinguished by the production of an energetic and collimated relativistic outflow powered (2) by a central engine (an accreting black hole or neutron star). Observationally, this outflow is manifested (3) in the pulse of y-rays and a long-lived radio afterglow. Until now, central-engine-driven supernovae have been discovered exclusively through their y-ray emission, yet it is expected (4) that a larger population goes undetected because of limited satellite sensitivity or beaming of the collimated emission away from our line of sight. In this framework, the recovery of undetected GRBs maybe possible through radio searches (5,6) for type Ibc supernovae with relativistic outflows. Here we report the discovery of luminous radio emission from the seemingly ordinary type Ibc SN 2009bb, which requires a substantial relativistic outflow powered by a central engine. A comparison with our radio survey of type Ibc supernovae reveals that the fraction harbouring central engines is low, about one per cent, measured independently from, but consistent with, the inferred (7) rate of nearby GRBs. Independently, a second mildly relativistic supernova has been reported (8)., On 2009 March 21.1 UT, the Chilean Automatic Supernova Search Program (CHASE; ref. 9) discovered (10) a bright optical transient through repeated imaging of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 3278 [...]

Published
2010
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13. The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. I. Discovery of the Optical Counterpart Using the Dark Energy Camera

Author

Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., and Weller, J.

Subjects
binaries: close— catalogs— gravitational waves — stars: neutron— surveys
Abstract

We present the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) discovery of the optical counterpart of the first binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational wave emission, GW170817. Our observations commenced 10.5 hours post-merger, as soon as the localization region became accessible from Chile. We imaged 70 deg2 in the i and z bands, covering 93% of the initial integrated localization probability, to a depth necessary to identify likely optical counterparts (e.g., a kilonova). At 11.4 hours post-merger we detected a bright optical transient located 10:600 from the nucleus of NGC4993 at redshift z = 0:0098, consistent (for H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1) with the distance of 40±8 Mpc reported by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration (LVC). At detection the transient had magnitudes i=17.3 and z=17.4, and thus an absolute magnitude of Mi = -15.7, in the luminosity range expected for a kilonova. We identified 1,500 potential transient candidates. Applying simple selection criteria aimed at rejecting background events such as supernovae, we find the transient associated with NGC4993 as the only remaining plausible counterpart, and reject chance coincidence at the 99.5% confidence level. We therefore conclude that the optical counterpart we have identified near NGC4993 is associated with GW170817. This discovery ushers in the era of multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves, and demonstrates the power of DECam to identify the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave sources.

Published
2017

14. The Galaxy Hosts And Large-Scale Environments of Short-Hard Gamma-Ray Bursts

Author

Prochaska, Jason X., primary, Bloom, J.S., additional, Chen, H.-W., additional, Foley, R.J., additional, Perley, D.A., additional, Ramirez-Ruiz, E., additional, Granot, J., additional, Lee, W.H., additional, Pooley, D., additional, Alatalo, K., additional, Hurley, K., additional, Cooper, M.C., additional, Dupree, A.K., additional, Gerke, B.F., additional, Hansen, B.M.S., additional, Kalirai, J.S., additional, Newman, J.A., additional, Rich, R.M., additional, Richer, H., additional, Stanford, S.A., additional, and Stern, D., additional

Published
2005
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15. Constraining Cosmic Evolution of Type Ia Supernovae

Author

Foley, R.J., Filippenko, A.V., and Clocchiatti, A.

Subjects
Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics
Abstract

We present a large-scale effort of creating composite spectra of high-redshift SNe Ia and comparing them to low-redshift counterparts in an attempt to understand possible cosmic evolution of SNe Ia, which has major implications for studies of dark energy. Through the ESSENCE project, we have obtained 107 spectra of 88 high-redshift SNe Ia with excellent light-curve information. In addition, we have obtained 397 spectra of low-redshift SNe Ia through a multiple-decade effort at the Lick and Keck Observatories, and we have used 45 UV spectra obtained by HST and IUE. The low-redshift spectra act as a control sample when comparing to the ESSENCE spectra. In all instances, the ESSENCE and Lick composite spectra appear very similar. The addition of galaxy light to the Lick composite spectra allows an excellent match of the overall SED with the ESSENCE composite spectra, indicating that the high-redshift SNe are more contaminated with host galaxy light than their low-redshift counterparts. This is caused by observing objects at all redshifts with similar angular slit widths, which corresponds to different projected physical distances. After correcting for the galaxy light contamination, a few marginally significant differences in the spectra remain. We have estimated the systematic errors when using current spectral templates for K-corrections to be ~0.02 mag. The variance in the composite spectra gives an estimate of the intrinsic variance in low-redshift maximum light SN spectra of ~3% relative flux in the optical and growing toward the UV. The difference between the maximum light low- and high-redshift spectra constrains the evolution of SN spectral features between our samples to be

Published
2008

18. The electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. I. Discovery of the optical counterpart using the Dark Energy Camera

Author

Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., Weller, J., Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., and Weller, J.

Abstract

We present the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) discovery of the optical counterpart of the first binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational wave emission, GW170817. Our observations commenced 10.5 hours post-merger, as soon as the localization region became accessible from Chile. We imaged 70 deg2 in the i and z bands, covering 93% of the initial integrated localization probability, to a depth necessary to identify likely optical counterparts (e.g., a kilonova). At 11.4 hours post-merger we detected a bright optical transient located 10:600 from the nucleus of NGC4993 at redshift z = 0:0098, consistent (for H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1) with the distance of 40±8 Mpc reported by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration (LVC). At detection the transient had magnitudes i=17.3 and z=17.4, and thus an absolute magnitude of Mi = -15.7, in the luminosity range expected for a kilonova. We identified 1,500 potential transient candidates. Applying simple selection criteria aimed at rejecting background events such as supernovae, we find the transient associated with NGC4993 as the only remaining plausible counterpart, and reject chance coincidence at the 99.5% confidence level. We therefore conclude that the optical counterpart we have identified near NGC4993 is associated with GW170817. This discovery ushers in the era of multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves, and demonstrates the power of DECam to identify the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave sources.

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19. The electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. I. Discovery of the optical counterpart using the Dark Energy Camera

Author

Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., Weller, J., Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., and Weller, J.

Abstract

We present the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) discovery of the optical counterpart of the first binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational wave emission, GW170817. Our observations commenced 10.5 hours post-merger, as soon as the localization region became accessible from Chile. We imaged 70 deg2 in the i and z bands, covering 93% of the initial integrated localization probability, to a depth necessary to identify likely optical counterparts (e.g., a kilonova). At 11.4 hours post-merger we detected a bright optical transient located 10:600 from the nucleus of NGC4993 at redshift z = 0:0098, consistent (for H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1) with the distance of 40±8 Mpc reported by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration (LVC). At detection the transient had magnitudes i=17.3 and z=17.4, and thus an absolute magnitude of Mi = -15.7, in the luminosity range expected for a kilonova. We identified 1,500 potential transient candidates. Applying simple selection criteria aimed at rejecting background events such as supernovae, we find the transient associated with NGC4993 as the only remaining plausible counterpart, and reject chance coincidence at the 99.5% confidence level. We therefore conclude that the optical counterpart we have identified near NGC4993 is associated with GW170817. This discovery ushers in the era of multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves, and demonstrates the power of DECam to identify the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave sources.

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20. The electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. I. Discovery of the optical counterpart using the Dark Energy Camera

Author

Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., Weller, J., Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., and Weller, J.

Abstract

We present the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) discovery of the optical counterpart of the first binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational wave emission, GW170817. Our observations commenced 10.5 hours post-merger, as soon as the localization region became accessible from Chile. We imaged 70 deg2 in the i and z bands, covering 93% of the initial integrated localization probability, to a depth necessary to identify likely optical counterparts (e.g., a kilonova). At 11.4 hours post-merger we detected a bright optical transient located 10:600 from the nucleus of NGC4993 at redshift z = 0:0098, consistent (for H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1) with the distance of 40±8 Mpc reported by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration (LVC). At detection the transient had magnitudes i=17.3 and z=17.4, and thus an absolute magnitude of Mi = -15.7, in the luminosity range expected for a kilonova. We identified 1,500 potential transient candidates. Applying simple selection criteria aimed at rejecting background events such as supernovae, we find the transient associated with NGC4993 as the only remaining plausible counterpart, and reject chance coincidence at the 99.5% confidence level. We therefore conclude that the optical counterpart we have identified near NGC4993 is associated with GW170817. This discovery ushers in the era of multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves, and demonstrates the power of DECam to identify the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave sources.

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21. The electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. I. Discovery of the optical counterpart using the Dark Energy Camera

Author

Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., Weller, J., Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., and Weller, J.

Abstract

We present the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) discovery of the optical counterpart of the first binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational wave emission, GW170817. Our observations commenced 10.5 hours post-merger, as soon as the localization region became accessible from Chile. We imaged 70 deg2 in the i and z bands, covering 93% of the initial integrated localization probability, to a depth necessary to identify likely optical counterparts (e.g., a kilonova). At 11.4 hours post-merger we detected a bright optical transient located 10:600 from the nucleus of NGC4993 at redshift z = 0:0098, consistent (for H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1) with the distance of 40±8 Mpc reported by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration (LVC). At detection the transient had magnitudes i=17.3 and z=17.4, and thus an absolute magnitude of Mi = -15.7, in the luminosity range expected for a kilonova. We identified 1,500 potential transient candidates. Applying simple selection criteria aimed at rejecting background events such as supernovae, we find the transient associated with NGC4993 as the only remaining plausible counterpart, and reject chance coincidence at the 99.5% confidence level. We therefore conclude that the optical counterpart we have identified near NGC4993 is associated with GW170817. This discovery ushers in the era of multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves, and demonstrates the power of DECam to identify the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave sources.

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22. The electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. I. Discovery of the optical counterpart using the Dark Energy Camera

Author

Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., Weller, J., Soares-Santos, M., Holz, D.E., Annis, J., Chornock, R., Herner, K., Berger, E., Brout, D., Chen, H.-Y., Kessler, R., Sako, M., Allam, S., Tucker, DL., Butler, R. E., Palmese, A., Doctor, Z., Diehl, H.T., Frieman, J., Yanny, B., Lin, H., Scolnic, D., Cowperthwaite, P., Neilsen, E., Marriner, J., Kuropatkin, N., Hartley, W.G., Paz-Chinchón, F., Alexander, K.D., Balbinot, E., Blanchard, P., Brown, D.A., Carlin, J.L., Conselice, Christopher J., Cook, E.R., Drlica-Wagner, A., Drout, M.R., Durret, F., Eftekhari, T., Farr, B., Finley, D.A., Foley, R.J., Fong, W., Fryer, C.L., García-Bellido, J., Gill, M.S.S., Gruendl, R.A., Hanna, C., Kasen, D., Li, T.S., Lopes, P.A.A., Lourenço, A.C.C., Margutti, R., Marshall, J.L., Matheson, T., Medina, G.E., Metzger, B.D., Muñoz, R.R., Muir, J., Nicholl, M., Quataert, E., Rest, A., Sauseda, M., Schlegel, D.J., Secco, L.F., Sobreira, F., Stebbins, A., Villar, V.A., Vivas, K., Walker, A.R., Wester, W., Williams, P.K.G., Zenteno, A., Zhang, Y., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Banerji, M., Bechtol, K., Benoit-Lévy, A., Bertin, E., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Rosell, A. Carnero, Kind, M. Carrasco, Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., D’Andrea, C.B., Costa, L.N. da, Davis, C., Desai, S., Dietrich, J.P., Doel, P., Eifler, T.F., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Fosalba, P., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., Giannantonio, T., Goldstein, D.A., Gruen, D., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Honscheid, K., Jain, B., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Johnson, M.W.G., Johnson, M.D., Kent, S., Krause, E., Kron, R., Kuehn, K., Kuhlmann, S., Lahav, O., Lima, M., Maia, M.A.G., March, M., McMahon, R.G., Menanteau, F., Miquel, R., Mohr, J.J., Nichol, R.C., Nord, B., Ogando, R.L C., Petravick, D., Plazas, A.A., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schubnell, M., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Thomas, R.C., Troxel, M.A., Vikram, V., Wechsler, R.H., and Weller, J.

Abstract

We present the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) discovery of the optical counterpart of the first binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational wave emission, GW170817. Our observations commenced 10.5 hours post-merger, as soon as the localization region became accessible from Chile. We imaged 70 deg2 in the i and z bands, covering 93% of the initial integrated localization probability, to a depth necessary to identify likely optical counterparts (e.g., a kilonova). At 11.4 hours post-merger we detected a bright optical transient located 10:600 from the nucleus of NGC4993 at redshift z = 0:0098, consistent (for H0 = 70 km s-1 Mpc-1) with the distance of 40±8 Mpc reported by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration (LVC). At detection the transient had magnitudes i=17.3 and z=17.4, and thus an absolute magnitude of Mi = -15.7, in the luminosity range expected for a kilonova. We identified 1,500 potential transient candidates. Applying simple selection criteria aimed at rejecting background events such as supernovae, we find the transient associated with NGC4993 as the only remaining plausible counterpart, and reject chance coincidence at the 99.5% confidence level. We therefore conclude that the optical counterpart we have identified near NGC4993 is associated with GW170817. This discovery ushers in the era of multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves, and demonstrates the power of DECam to identify the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave sources.

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