239 research outputs found
Improved constraints on H0 from a combined analysis of gravitational-wave and electromagnetic emission from GW170817
The luminosity distance measurement of GW170817 derived from GW analysis in
Abbott et al. 2017 (here, A17:H0) is highly correlated with the measured
inclination of the NS-NS system. To improve the precision of the distance
measurement, we attempt to constrain the inclination by modeling the broad-band
X-ray-to-radio emission from GW170817, which is dominated by the interaction of
the jet with the environment. We update our previous analysis and we consider
the radio and X-ray data obtained at days since merger. We find that the
afterglow emission from GW170817 is consistent with an off-axis relativistic
jet with energy
propagating into an environment with density , with preference for wider jets (opening angle
deg). For these jets, our modeling indicates an off-axis angle deg. We combine our constraints on with the
joint distance-inclination constraint from LIGO. Using the same
km/sec peculiar velocity uncertainty assumed in A17:H0 but with an inclination
constraint from the afterglow data, we get a value of \mbox{km/s/Mpc}, which is higher than the value of
\mbox{km/s/Mpc} found in A17:H0. Further,
using a more realistic peculiar velocity uncertainty of 250 km/sec derived from
previous work, we find km/s/Mpc for H0 from
this system. We note that this is in modestly better agreement with the local
distance ladder than the Planck CMB, though a significant such discrimination
will require such events. Future measurements at days of the
X-ray and radio emission will lead to tighter constraints.Comment: Submitted to ApJL. Comments Welcome. Revised uncertainties in v
The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/VIRGO GW170817. V. Rising X-ray Emission from an Off-Axis Jet
We report the discovery of rising X-ray emission from the binary neutron star
(BNS) merger event GW170817. This is the first detection of X-ray emission from
a gravitational-wave source. Observations acquired with the Chandra X-ray
Observatory (CXO) at t~2.3 days post merger reveal no significant emission,
with L_x<=3.2x10^38 erg/s (isotropic-equivalent). Continued monitoring revealed
the presence of an X-ray source that brightened with time, reaching L_x\sim
9x10^39 erg/s at ~15.1 days post merger. We interpret these findings in the
context of isotropic and collimated relativistic outflows (both on- and
off-axis). We find that the broad-band X-ray to radio observations are
consistent with emission from a relativistic jet with kinetic energy
E_k~10^49-10^50 erg, viewed off-axis with theta_obs~ 20-40 deg. Our models
favor a circumbinary density n~ 0.0001-0.01 cm-3, depending on the value of the
microphysical parameter epsilon_B=10^{-4}-10^{-2}. A central-engine origin of
the X-ray emission is unlikely. Future X-ray observations at
days, when the target will be observable again with the CXO, will provide
additional constraints to solve the model degeneracies and test our
predictions. Our inferences on theta_obs are testable with gravitational wave
information on GW170817 from Advanced LIGO/Virgo on the binary inclination.Comment: 7 Pages, 4 Figures, ApJL, In Press. Keywords: GW170817, LV
A Decline in the X-ray through Radio Emission from GW170817 Continues to Support an Off-Axis Structured Jet
We present new observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 at
days post-merger, at radio (Karl G. Jansky Very Large
Array; VLA), X-ray (Chandra X-ray Observatory) and optical (Hubble Space
Telescope; HST) wavelengths. These observations provide the first evidence for
a turnover in the X-ray light curve, mirroring a decline in the radio emission
at significance. The radio-to-X-ray spectral energy
distribution exhibits no evolution into the declining phase. Our full
multi-wavelength dataset is consistent with the predicted behavior of our
previously published models of a successful structured jet expanding into a
low-density circumbinary medium, but pure cocoon models with a choked jet
cannot be ruled out. If future observations continue to track our predictions,
we expect that the radio and X-ray emission will remain detectable until days post-merger.Comment: Accepted to ApJL. Updated version includes new VLA observations
extending through 2018 June
The Binary Neutron Star event LIGO/VIRGO GW170817 a hundred and sixty days after merger: synchrotron emission across the electromagnetic spectrum
We report deep Chandra, HST and VLA observations of the binary neutron star
event GW170817 at d after merger. These observations show that GW170817
has been steadily brightening with time and might have now reached its peak,
and constrain the emission process as non-thermal synchrotron emission where
the cooling frequency is above the X-ray band and the synchrotron
frequency is below the radio band. The very simple power-law spectrum
extending for eight orders of magnitude in frequency enables the most precise
measurement of the index of the distribution of non-thermal relativistic
electrons accelerated by a shock launched by a
NS-NS merger to date. We find , which indicates that radiation
from ejecta with dominates the observed emission. While
constraining the nature of the emission process, these observations do
\emph{not} constrain the nature of the relativistic ejecta. We employ
simulations of explosive outflows launched in NS ejecta clouds to show that the
spectral and temporal evolution of the non-thermal emission from GW170817 is
consistent with both emission from radially stratified quasi-spherical ejecta
traveling at mildly relativistic speeds, \emph{and} emission from off-axis
collimated ejecta characterized by a narrow cone of ultra-relativistic material
with slower wings extending to larger angles. In the latter scenario, GW170817
harbored a normal SGRB directed away from our line of sight. Observations at
days are unlikely to settle the debate as in both scenarios the
observed emission is effectively dominated by radiation from mildly
relativistic material.Comment: Updated with the latest VLA and Chandra dat
The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/VIRGO GW170817. VI. Radio Constraints on a Relativistic Jet and Predictions for Late-Time Emission from the Kilonova Ejecta
We present Very Large Array (VLA) and Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter
Array ALMA radio observations of GW\,170817, the first Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) event from
a binary neutron star merger and the first GW event with an electromagnetic
(EM) counterpart. Our data include the first observations following the
discovery of the optical transient at both the centimeter ( hours post
merger) and millimeter ( days post merger) bands. We detect faint
emission at 6 GHz at 19.47 and 39.23 days after the merger, but not in an
earlier observation at 2.46 d. We do not detect cm/mm emission at the position
of the optical counterpart at frequencies of 10-97.5 GHz at times ranging from
0.6 to 30 days post merger, ruling out an on-axis short gamma-ray burst (SGRB)
for energies erg. For fiducial SGRB parameters, our limits
require an observer viewer angle of . The radio and X-ray
data can be jointly explained as the afterglow emission from an SGRB with a jet
energy of erg that exploded in a uniform density
environment with cm, viewed at an angle of from the jet axis. Using the results of our light curve
and spectral modeling, in conjunction with the inference of the circumbinary
density, we predict the emergence of late-time radio emission from the
deceleration of the kilonova (KN) ejecta on a timescale of years
that will remain detectable for decades with next-generation radio facilities,
making GW\,170817 a compelling target for long-term radio monitoring.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. ApJL, in press. Keywords: GW170817, LV
The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/VIRGO GW170817. VII. Properties of the Host Galaxy and Constraints on the Merger Timescale
We present the properties of NGC 4993, the host galaxy of GW170817, the first
gravitational wave (GW) event from the merger of a binary neutron star (BNS)
system and the first with an electromagnetic (EM) counterpart. We use both
archival photometry and new optical/near-IR imaging and spectroscopy, together
with stellar population synthesis models to infer the global properties of the
host galaxy. We infer a star formation history peaked at Gyr ago,
with subsequent exponential decline leading to a low current star formation
rate of 0.01 M yr, which we convert into a binary merger
timescale probability distribution. We find a median merger timescale of
Gyr, with a 90% confidence range of Gyr. This
in turn indicates an initial binary separation of R,
comparable to the inferred values for Galactic BNS systems. We also use new and
archival images to measure a projected offset of
the optical counterpart of kpc (0.64) from the center of NGC 4993
and to place a limit of mag on any pre-existing emission,
which rules out the brighter half of the globular cluster luminosity function.
Finally, the age and offset of the system indicates it experienced a modest
natal kick with an upper limit of km s. Future GWEM
observations of BNS mergers will enable measurement of their population delay
time distribution, which will directly inform their viability as the dominant
source of -process enrichment in the Universe.Comment: 9 Pages, 3 Figures, 2 Tables, ApJL, In Press. Keywords: GW170817, LV
The Ascent of the Abundant: How Mutational Networks Constrain Evolution
Evolution by natural selection is fundamentally shaped by the fitness landscapes in which it occurs. Yet fitness landscapes are vast and complex, and thus we know relatively little about the long-range constraints they impose on evolutionary dynamics. Here, we exhaustively survey the structural landscapes of RNA molecules of lengths 12 to 18 nucleotides, and develop a network model to describe the relationship between sequence and structure. We find that phenotype abundance—the number of genotypes producing a particular phenotype—varies in a predictable manner and critically influences evolutionary dynamics. A study of naturally occurring functional RNA molecules using a new structural statistic suggests that these molecules are biased toward abundant phenotypes. This supports an “ascent of the abundant” hypothesis, in which evolution yields abundant phenotypes even when they are not the most fit
- …