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8 results on '"Secco, L.F."'

1. Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Cross-correlation between Dark Energy Survey Y1 galaxy weak lensing and South Pole Telescope +Planck CMB weak lensing

Author

Omori, Y., Baxter, E.J., Kirk, D., Alarcon, A., Bernstein, G.M., Bleem, L.E., Cawthon, R., Choi, A., Chown, R., Crawford, T.M., Davis, C., De Vicente, J., DeRose, J., Dodelson, S., Eifler, T.F., Fosalba, P., Friedrich, O., Gatti, M., Gaztanaga, E., Giannantonio, T., Gruen, D., Hartley, W.G., Holder, G.P., Hoyle, B., Huterer, D., Jain, B., Jarvis, M., Krause, E., MacCrann, N., Miquel, R., Prat, J., Rau, M.M., Reichardt, C.L., ROZO, E., Samuroff, S., Sánchez, C., Secco, L.F., Sheldon, E., Simard, G., Troxel, M.A., Vielzeuf, P., Wechsler, R.H., Zuntz, J., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Allam, S., Annis, J., Avila, S., Aylor, K., Benson, B.A., Bertin, E., Bridle, S.L., Brooks, D., Burke, D.L., Carlstrom, J.E., Carnero Rosell, A., Carrasco Kind, M., Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Chang, C.L., Cho, H-M., Crites, A.T., Crocce, M., Cunha, C.E., Da Costa, L.N., De Haan, T., Desai, S., Diehl, H.T., Dietrich, J.P., Dobbs, M.A., Everett, W.B., Fernandez, E., Flaugher, B., Frieman, J., García-Bellido, J., George, E.M., Gruendl, R.A., Gutierrez, G., Halverson, N.W., Harrington, N.L., Hollowood, D.L., Honscheid, K., Holzapfel, W.L., Hou, Z., Hrubes, J.D., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Kuehn, K., Kuropatkin, N., Lima, M., Lin, H., Lee, A.T., Leitch, E.M., Luong-Van, D., Maia, M.A.G., Manzotti, A., Marrone, D.P., Marshall, J.L., Martini, P., McMahon, J.J., Melchior, P., Menanteau, F., Meyer, S.S., Mocanu, L.M., Mohr, J.J., Natoli, T., Ogando, R.L.C., Padin, S., Plazas, A.A., Pryke, C., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Ruhl, J.E., Rykoff, E.S., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schaffer, K.K., Schindler, R., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Shirokoff, E., Smith, M., Smith, R.C., Soares-Santos, M., Sobreira, F., Staniszewski, Z., Stark, A.A., Story, K.T., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Vanderlinde, K., Vieira, J.D., Vikram, V., Walker, A.R., Weller, J., Williamson, R., Wu, W.L.K., Zahn, O., Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (IAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), DES, and SPT

Subjects
Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Cosmology
Abstract

International audience; We cross-correlate galaxy weak lensing measurements from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) year-one data with a cosmic microwave background (CMB) weak lensing map derived from South Pole Telescope (SPT) and Planck data, with an effective overlapping area of 1289 deg2. With the combined measurements from four source galaxy redshift bins, we obtain a detection significance of 5.8σ. We fit the amplitude of the correlation functions while fixing the cosmological parameters to a fiducial ΛCDM model, finding A=0.99±0.17. We additionally use the correlation function measurements to constrain shear calibration bias, obtaining constraints that are consistent with previous DES analyses. Finally, when performing a cosmological analysis under the ΛCDM model, we obtain the marginalized constraints of Ωm=0.261-0.051+0.070 and S8≡σ8Ωm/0.3=0.660-0.100+0.085. These measurements are used in a companion work that presents cosmological constraints from the joint analysis of two-point functions among galaxies, galaxy shears, and CMB lensing using DES, SPT, and Planck data.

Published
2019
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2. Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Tomographic cross-correlations between Dark Energy Survey galaxies and CMB lensing from South Pole Telescope+Planck

Author

Omori, Y., Giannantonio, T., Porredon, A., Baxter, E.J., Crocce, M., Fosalba, P., Alarcon, A., Banik, N., Blazek, J., Bleem, L.E., Bridle, S.L., Cawthon, R., Choi, A., Chown, R., Crawford, T., Dodelson, S., Drlica-Wagner, A., Eifler, T.F., Elvin-Poole, J., Friedrich, O., Gruen, D., Holder, G.P., Huterer, D., Jain, B., Jarvis, M., Kirk, D., Kokron, N., Krause, E., MacCrann, N., Muir, J., Prat, J., Reichardt, C.L., Ross, A.J., ROZO, E., Rykoff, E.S., Sánchez, C., Secco, L.F., Simard, G., Wechsler, R.H., Zuntz, J., Abbott, T.M.C., Abdalla, F.B., Allam, S., Avila, S., Aylor, K., Benson, B.A., Bernstein, G.M., Bertin, E., Bianchini, F., Brooks, D., Buckley-Geer, E., Burke, D.L., Carlstrom, J.E., Carnero Rosell, A., Carrasco Kind, M., Carretero, J., Castander, F.J., Chang, C.L., Cho, H-M., Crites, A.T., Cunha, C.E., Da Costa, L.N., De Haan, T., Davis, C., De Vicente, J., Desai, S., Diehl, H.T., Dietrich, J.P., Dobbs, M.A., Everett, W.B., Doel, P., Estrada, J., Flaugher, B., Frieman, J., García-Bellido, J., Gaztanaga, E., Gerdes, D.W., George, E.M., Gruendl, R.A., Gschwend, J., Gutierrez, G., Halverson, N.W., Harrington, N.L., Hartley, W.G., Hollowood, D.L., Holzapfel, W.L., Honscheid, K., Hou, Z., Hoyle, B., Hrubes, J.D., James, D.J., Jeltema, T., Kuehn, K., Kuropatkin, N., Lee, A.T., Leitch, E.M., Lima, M., Luong-Van, D., Manzotti, A., Marrone, D.P., Marshall, J.L., McMahon, J.J., Melchior, P., Menanteau, F., Meyer, S.S., Miller, C.J., Miquel, R., Mocanu, L.M., Mohr, J.J., Natoli, T., Padin, S., Plazas, A.A., Pryke, C., Romer, A.K., Roodman, A., Ruhl, J.E., Sanchez, E., Scarpine, V., Schaffer, K.K., Schubnell, M., Serrano, S., Sevilla-Noarbe, I., Shirokoff, E., Smith, M., Soares-Santos, M., Sobreira, F., Staniszewski, Z., Stark, A.A., Story, K.T., Suchyta, E., Swanson, M.E.C., Tarle, G., Thomas, D., Troxel, M.A., Vanderlinde, K., Vieira, J.D., Walker, A.R., Wu, W.L.K., Zahn, O., Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (IAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), DES, SPT, and UAM. Departamento de Física Teórica

Subjects
Library science, Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics, 7. Clean energy, 01 natural sciences, 0103 physical sciences, media_common.cataloged_instance, European union, 010306 general physics, GeneralLiterature_REFERENCE(e.g.,dictionaries,encyclopedias,glossaries), STFC, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, QC, media_common, Physics, 010308 nuclear & particles physics, European research, Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, RCUK, Física, GALÁXIAS, Cosmology, South Pole Telescope, 13. Climate action, Research council, Fundamental physics, Christian ministry, [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]
Abstract

Kavli Foundation; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research; Canada Research Chairs program; U.S. Department of Energy [DE-SC0007901]; Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago [NSF PHY-1125897]; Australian Research Council Future Fellowship [FT150100074]; Fermi Research Alliance, LLC [De-AC02-07CH11359]; United States Department of Energy; National Science Foundation [OCI-0725070, ACI-1238993]; NSF Physics Frontier Center [PHY-0114422]; Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; GBMF [947]; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; U.S. National Science Foundation; Ministry of Science and Education of Spain; Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom; Higher Education Funding Council for England; National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics at the Ohio State University; Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas AM University; Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos; Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; Collaborating Institutions in the Dark Energy Survey; University of California at Santa Cruz; University of Cambridge, Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas-Madrid; DES-Brazil Consortium; University of Edinburgh; Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich; Ludwig-Maximilians Universitat Munchen; University of Portsmouth; OzDES Membership Consortium; Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA); MINECO [AYA2015-71825, ESP2015-66861, FPA2015-68048, SEV-2016-0588, SEV-2016-0597, MDM-2015-0509]; ERDF; European Union - CERCA program of the Generalitat de Catalunya; European Research Council under the European Union [240672, 291329, 306478]; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) [CE110001020]; Brazilian Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia (INCT) e-Universe (CNPq) [De-AC02-07CH11359, 465376/2014-2]; U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics - Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI); ministere de l'Economie, de la science et de l'innovation du Quebec (MESI); Fonds de recherche du Quebec-Nature et technologies (FRQ-NT); state of Illinois; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [49,70, MATPLOTLIB [75], 76,77]

Published
2019
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3. 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

4. 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.

Full Text
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5. 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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6. 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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7. 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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8. 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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