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Spectroscopic identification of r-process nucleosynthesis in a double neutron star merger | E. Pian
; P. D'Avanzo
; S. Benetti
; M. Branchesi
; E. Brocato
; S. Campana
; E. Cappellaro
; S. Covino
; V. D'Elia
; J. P. U. Fynbo
; F. Getman
; G. Ghirlanda
; G. Ghisellini
; A. Grado
; G. Greco
; J. Hjorth
; C. Kouveliotou
; A. Levan
; L. Limatola
; D. Malesani
; P. A. Mazzali
; A. Melandri
; P. Moller
; L. Nicastro
; E. Palazzi
; S. Piranomonte
; A. Rossi
; O. S. Salafia
; J. Selsing
; G. Stratta
; M. Tanaka
; N. R. Tanvir
; L. Tomasella
; D. Watson
; S. Yang
; L. Amati
; L. A. Antonelli
; S. Ascenzi
; M. G. Bernardini
; M. Boer
; F. Bufano
; A. Bulgarelli
; M. Capaccioli
; P. G. Casella
; A. J. Castro-Tirado
; E. Chassande-Mottin
; R. Ciolfi
; C. M. Copperwheat
; M. Dadina
; G. De Cesare
; A. Di Paola
; Y. Z. Fan
; B. Gendre
; G. Giuffrida
; A. Giunta
; L. K. Hunt
; G. Israel
; Z.-P. Jin
; . Kasliwal
; S. Klose
; M. Lisi
; F. Longo
; E. Maiorano
; M. Mapelli
; . Masetti
; L. Nava
; B. Patricelli
; D. Perley
; A. Pescalli
; T. Piran
; A. Possenti
; L. Pulone
; M. Razzano
; R. Salvaterra
; P. Schipani
; M. Spera
; A. Stamerra
; L. Stella
; G. Tagliaferri
; V. Testa
; E. Troja
; M. Turatto
; S. D. Vergani
; D. Vergani
; | Date: |
16 Oct 2017 | Abstract: | The merger of two neutron stars is predicted to give rise to three major
detectable phenomena: a short burst of gamma-rays, a gravitational wave signal,
and a transient optical/near-infrared source powered by the synthesis of large
amounts of very heavy elements via rapid neutron capture (the r-process). Such
transients, named "macronovae" or "kilonovae", are believed to be centres of
production of rare elements such as gold and platinum. The most compelling
evidence so far for a kilonova was a very faint near-infrared rebrightening in
the afterglow of a short gamma-ray burst at z = 0.356, although findings
indicating bluer events have been reported. Here we report the spectral
identification and describe the physical properties of a bright kilonova
associated with the gravitational wave source GW 170817 and gamma-ray burst GRB
170817A associated with a galaxy at a distance of 40 Mpc from Earth. Using a
series of spectra from ground-based observatories covering the wavelength range
from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared, we find that the kilonova is
characterized by rapidly expanding ejecta with spectral features similar to
those predicted by current models. The ejecta is optically thick early on, with
a velocity of about 0.2 times light speed, and reaches a radius of about 50
astronomical units in only 1.5 days. As the ejecta expands, broad
absorption-like lines appear on the spectral continuum indicating atomic
species produced by nucleosynthesis that occurs in the post-merger fast-moving
dynamical ejecta and in two slower (0.05 times light speed) wind regions.
Comparison with spectral models suggests that the merger ejected 0.03-0.05
solar masses of material, including high-opacity lanthanides. | Source: | arXiv, 1710.5858 | Services: | Forum | Review | PDF | Favorites |
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