Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Tanvir, N. R.
• Levan, A. J.
• González-Fernández, C.
• Korobkin, O.
• Mandel, I.
• Rosswog, S.
• Hjorth, J.
• D'Avanzo, P.
• Fruchter, A. S.
• Fryer, C. L.
• Kangas, T.
• Milvang-Jensen, B.
• Rosetti, S.
• Steeghs, D.
• Wollaeger, R. T.
• Cano, Z.
• Copperwheat, C. M.
• Covino, S.
• D'Elia, V.
• de Ugarte Postigo, A.
• Evans, P. A.
• Even, W. P.
• Fairhurst, S.
• Jaimes, R. Figuera
• Fontes, C. J.
• Fujii, Y. I.
• Fynbo, J. P. U.
• Gompertz, B. P.
• Greiner, J.
• Hodosan, G.
• Irwin, M. J.
• Jakobsson, P.
• Jørgensen, U. G.
• Kann, D. A.
• Lyman, J. D.
• Malesani, D.
• McMahon, R. G.
• Melandri, A.
• O'Brien, P. T.
• Osborne, J. P.
• Palazzi, E.
• Perley, D. A.
• Pian, E.
• Piranomonte, S.
• Rabus, M.
• Rol, E.
• Rowlinson, A.
• Schulze, S.
• Sutton, P.
• Thöne, C. C.
• Ulaczyk, K.
• Watson, D.
• Wiersema, K.
• Wijers, R. A. M. J.

Titel

The Emergence of a Lanthanide-rich Kilonova Following the Merger of Two Neutron Stars

Ist Teil von

• Astrophysical journal. Letters, 2017-10, Vol.848 (2), p.L27

Ort / Verlag

Austin: The American Astronomical Society

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• We report the discovery and monitoring of the near-infrared counterpart (AT2017gfo) of a binary neutron-star merger event detected as a gravitational wave source by Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo (GW170817) and as a short gamma-ray burst by Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and Integral SPI-ACS (GRB 170817A). The evolution of the transient light is consistent with predictions for the behavior of a "kilonova/macronova" powered by the radioactive decay of massive neutron-rich nuclides created via r-process nucleosynthesis in the neutron-star ejecta. In particular, evidence for this scenario is found from broad features seen in Hubble Space Telescope infrared spectroscopy, similar to those predicted for lanthanide-dominated ejecta, and the much slower evolution in the near-infrared K s -band compared to the optical. This indicates that the late-time light is dominated by high-opacity lanthanide-rich ejecta, suggesting nucleosynthesis to the third r-process peak (atomic masses A 195 ). This discovery confirms that neutron-star mergers produce kilo-/macronovae and that they are at least a major-if not the dominant-site of rapid neutron capture nucleosynthesis in the universe.