Publikationsdatum:
2019-07-13
Beschreibung:
With the first direct detection of merging black holes in 2015, the era of gravitational wave (GW) astrophysics began. A complete picture of compact object mergers, however, requires the detection of an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart. We report ultraviolet (UV) and x-ray observations by Swift and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array of the EM counter part of the binary neutron star merger GW170817.The bright, rapidly fading UV emission indicates a high mass (0.03 solar masses) wind-driven outflow with moderate electron fraction (Ye 0.27). Combined with the x-ray limits, we favor an observer viewing angle of 30 away from the orbital rotation axis, which avoids both obscuration from the heaviest elements in the orbital plane and a direct view of any ultra relativistic, highly collimated ejecta (a gamma-ray burst afterglow).
Schlagwort(e):
Astrophysics
Materialart:
GSFC-E-DAA-TN67019
,
Science (ISSN 0036-8075) (e-ISSN 1095-9203); 358; 6370; 1565-1570
Format:
text
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