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Evans PA, Cenko SB, Kennea JA, Emery SWK, Kuin NPM, Korobkin O, Wollaeger RT, Fryer CL, Madsen KK, Harrison FA, Xu Y, Nakar E, Hotokezaka K, Lien A, Campana S, Oates SR, Troja E, Breeveld AA, Marshall FE, Barthelmy SD, Beardmore AP, Burrows DN, Cusumano G, D'Aì A, D'Avanzo P, D'Elia V, de Pasquale M, Even WP, Fontes CJ, Forster K, Garcia J, Giommi P, Grefenstette B, Gronwall C, Hartmann DH, Heida M, Hungerford AL, Kasliwal MM, Krimm HA, Levan AJ, Malesani D, Melandri A, Miyasaka H, Nousek JA, O'Brien PT, Osborne JP, Pagani C, Page KL, Palmer DM, Perri M, Pike S, Racusin JL, Rosswog S, Siegel MH, Sakamoto T, Sbarufatti B, Tagliaferri G, Tanvir NR, Tohuvavohu A. Swift and NuSTAR observations of GW170817: Detection of a blue kilonova. Science 2017; 358:1565-1570. [PMID: 29038371 DOI: 10.1126/science.aap9580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
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 counterpart 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 ultrarelativistic, highly collimated ejecta (a γ-ray burst afterglow).
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Evans
- University of Leicester, X-ray and Observational Astronomy Research Group, Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
| | - S B Cenko
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.,Joint Space-Science Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - J A Kennea
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - S W K Emery
- University College London, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking RH5 6NT, UK
| | - N P M Kuin
- University College London, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking RH5 6NT, UK
| | - O Korobkin
- Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
| | - R T Wollaeger
- Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
| | - C L Fryer
- Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
| | - K K Madsen
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - F A Harrison
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Y Xu
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - E Nakar
- The Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - K Hotokezaka
- Center for Computational Astrophysics, Simons Foundation, 162 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - A Lien
- Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.,Department of Physics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
| | - S Campana
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate, Italy
| | - S R Oates
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - E Troja
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-4111, USA
| | - A A Breeveld
- University College London, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking RH5 6NT, UK
| | - F E Marshall
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - S D Barthelmy
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - A P Beardmore
- University of Leicester, X-ray and Observational Astronomy Research Group, Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - D N Burrows
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - G Cusumano
- INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica Palermo, via Ugo La Malfa 153, I-90146, Palermo, Italy
| | - A D'Aì
- INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica Palermo, via Ugo La Malfa 153, I-90146, Palermo, Italy
| | - P D'Avanzo
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate, Italy
| | - V D'Elia
- INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monteporzio Catone, Italy.,Space Science Data Center-Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), I-00133 Roma, Italy
| | - M de Pasquale
- Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, University of Istanbul, Beyzt 34119, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - W P Even
- Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA.,Department of Physical Sciences, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT 84720, USA
| | - C J Fontes
- Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
| | - K Forster
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - J Garcia
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - P Giommi
- Space Science Data Center-Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), I-00133 Roma, Italy
| | - B Grefenstette
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - C Gronwall
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - D H Hartmann
- Kinard Lab of Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0978, USA
| | - M Heida
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - A L Hungerford
- Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
| | - M M Kasliwal
- Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - H A Krimm
- Universities Space Research Association, 7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046, USA.,National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
| | - A J Levan
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - D Malesani
- Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - A Melandri
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate, Italy
| | - H Miyasaka
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - J A Nousek
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - P T O'Brien
- University of Leicester, X-ray and Observational Astronomy Research Group, Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - J P Osborne
- University of Leicester, X-ray and Observational Astronomy Research Group, Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - C Pagani
- University of Leicester, X-ray and Observational Astronomy Research Group, Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - K L Page
- University of Leicester, X-ray and Observational Astronomy Research Group, Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - D M Palmer
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, B244, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - M Perri
- INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monteporzio Catone, Italy.,Space Science Data Center-Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), I-00133 Roma, Italy
| | - S Pike
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - J L Racusin
- Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - S Rosswog
- The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, AlbaNova, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M H Siegel
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - T Sakamoto
- Department of Physics and Mathematics, Aoyama Gakuin University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5258, Japan
| | - B Sbarufatti
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - G Tagliaferri
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate, Italy
| | - N R Tanvir
- University of Leicester, X-ray and Observational Astronomy Research Group, Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - A Tohuvavohu
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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2
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Racusin JL, Karpov SV, Sokolowski M, Granot J, Wu XF, Pal’shin V, Covino S, van der Horst AJ, Oates SR, Schady P, Smith RJ, Cummings J, Starling RLC, Piotrowski LW, Zhang B, Evans PA, Holland ST, Malek K, Page MT, Vetere L, Margutti R, Guidorzi C, Kamble AP, Curran PA, Beardmore A, Kouveliotou C, Mankiewicz L, Melandri A, O’Brien PT, Page KL, Piran T, Tanvir NR, Wrochna G, Aptekar RL, Barthelmy S, Bartolini C, Beskin GM, Bondar S, Bremer M, Campana S, Castro-Tirado A, Cucchiara A, Cwiok M, D’Avanzo P, D’Elia V, Valle MD, de Ugarte Postigo A, Dominik W, Falcone A, Fiore F, Fox DB, Frederiks DD, Fruchter AS, Fugazza D, Garrett MA, Gehrels N, Golenetskii S, Gomboc A, Gorosabel J, Greco G, Guarnieri A, Immler S, Jelinek M, Kasprowicz G, La Parola V, Levan AJ, Mangano V, Mazets EP, Molinari E, Moretti A, Nawrocki K, Oleynik PP, Osborne JP, Pagani C, Pandey SB, Paragi Z, Perri M, Piccioni A, Ramirez-Ruiz E, Roming PWA, Steele IA, Strom RG, Testa V, Tosti G, Ulanov MV, Wiersema K, Wijers RAMJ, Winters JM, Zarnecki AF, Zerbi F, Mészáros P, Chincarini G, Burrows DN. Broadband observations of the naked-eye γ-ray burst GRB 080319B. Nature 2008; 455:183-8. [DOI: 10.1038/nature07270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 376] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2008] [Accepted: 07/11/2008] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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3
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Soderberg AM, Berger E, Page KL, Schady P, Parrent J, Pooley D, Wang XY, Ofek EO, Cucchiara A, Rau A, Waxman E, Simon JD, Bock DCJ, Milne PA, Page MJ, Barentine JC, Barthelmy SD, Beardmore AP, Bietenholz MF, Brown P, Burrows A, Burrows DN, Byrngelson G, Cenko SB, Chandra P, Cummings JR, Fox DB, Gal-Yam A, Gehrels N, Immler S, Kasliwal M, Kong AKH, Krimm HA, Kulkarni SR, Maccarone TJ, Mészáros P, Nakar E, O’Brien PT, Overzier RA, de Pasquale M, Racusin J, Rea N, York DG. An extremely luminous X-ray outburst at the birth of a supernova. Nature 2008; 453:469-74. [PMID: 18497815 DOI: 10.1038/nature06997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 352] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2008] [Accepted: 04/04/2008] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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4
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Burrows DN, Falcone A, Chincarini G, Morris D, Romano P, Hill JE, Godet O, Moretti A, Krimm H, Osborne JP, Racusin J, Mangano V, Page K, Perri M, Stroh M. X-ray flares in early GRB afterglows. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2007; 365:1213-26. [PMID: 17293338 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2006.1970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT) has discovered that flares are quite common in early X-ray afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), being observed in roughly 50% of afterglows with prompt follow-up observations. The flares range in fluence from a few per cent to approximately 100% of the fluence of the prompt emission (the GRB). Repetitive flares are seen, with more than four successive flares detected by the XRT in some afterglows. The rise and fall times of the flares are typically considerably smaller than the time since the burst. These characteristics suggest that the flares are related to the prompt emission mechanism, but at lower photon energies. We conclude that the most likely cause of these flares is late-time activity of the GRB central engine.
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Affiliation(s)
- D N Burrows
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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5
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Campana S, Mangano V, Blustin AJ, Brown P, Burrows DN, Chincarini G, Cummings JR, Cusumano G, Della Valle M, Malesani D, Mészáros P, Nousek JA, Page M, Sakamoto T, Waxman E, Zhang B, Dai ZG, Gehrels N, Immler S, Marshall FE, Mason KO, Moretti A, O'Brien PT, Osborne JP, Page KL, Romano P, Roming PWA, Tagliaferri G, Cominsky LR, Giommi P, Godet O, Kennea JA, Krimm H, Angelini L, Barthelmy SD, Boyd PT, Palmer DM, Wells AA, White NE. The association of GRB 060218 with a supernova and the evolution of the shock wave. Nature 2006; 442:1008-10. [PMID: 16943830 DOI: 10.1038/nature04892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 573] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2005] [Accepted: 05/10/2005] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Although the link between long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and supernovae has been established, hitherto there have been no observations of the beginning of a supernova explosion and its intimate link to a GRB. In particular, we do not know how the jet that defines a gamma-ray burst emerges from the star's surface, nor how a GRB progenitor explodes. Here we report observations of the relatively nearby GRB 060218 (ref. 5) and its connection to supernova SN 2006aj (ref. 6). In addition to the classical non-thermal emission, GRB 060218 shows a thermal component in its X-ray spectrum, which cools and shifts into the optical/ultraviolet band as time passes. We interpret these features as arising from the break-out of a shock wave driven by a mildly relativistic shell into the dense wind surrounding the progenitor. We have caught a supernova in the act of exploding, directly observing the shock break-out, which indicates that the GRB progenitor was a Wolf-Rayet star.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Campana
- INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate, LC, Italy.
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6
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Soderberg AM, Kulkarni SR, Nakar E, Berger E, Cameron PB, Fox DB, Frail D, Gal-Yam A, Sari R, Cenko SB, Kasliwal M, Chevalier RA, Piran T, Price PA, Schmidt BP, Pooley G, Moon DS, Penprase BE, Ofek E, Rau A, Gehrels N, Nousek JA, Burrows DN, Persson SE, McCarthy PJ. Relativistic ejecta from X-ray flash XRF 060218 and the rate of cosmic explosions. Nature 2006; 442:1014-7. [PMID: 16943832 DOI: 10.1038/nature05087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 383] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2006] [Accepted: 07/13/2006] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decade, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)--including the subclass of X-ray flashes (XRFs)--have been revealed to be a rare variety of type Ibc supernova. Although all these events result from the death of massive stars, the electromagnetic luminosities of GRBs and XRFs exceed those of ordinary type Ibc supernovae by many orders of magnitude. The essential physical process that causes a dying star to produce a GRB or XRF, and not just a supernova, is still unknown. Here we report radio and X-ray observations of XRF 060218 (associated with supernova SN 2006aj), the second-nearest GRB identified until now. We show that this event is a hundred times less energetic but ten times more common than cosmological GRBs. Moreover, it is distinguished from ordinary type Ibc supernovae by the presence of 10(48) erg coupled to mildly relativistic ejecta, along with a central engine (an accretion-fed, rapidly rotating compact source) that produces X-rays for weeks after the explosion. This suggests that the production of relativistic ejecta is the key physical distinction between GRBs or XRFs and ordinary supernovae, while the nature of the central engine (black hole or magnetar) may distinguish typical bursts from low-luminosity, spherical events like XRF 060218.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Soderberg
- Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
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7
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Cusumano G, Mangano V, Chincarini G, Panaitescu A, Burrows DN, La Parola V, Sakamoto T, Campana S, Mineo T, Tagliaferri G, Angelini L, Barthelemy SD, Beardmore AP, Boyd PT, Cominsky LR, Gronwall C, Fenimore EE, Gehrels N, Giommi P, Goad M, Hurley K, Kennea JA, Mason KO, Marshall F, Mészáros P, Nousek JA, Osborne JP, Palmer DM, Roming PWA, Wells A, White NE, Zhang B. Gamma-ray bursts: huge explosion in the early Universe. Nature 2006; 440:164. [PMID: 16525462 DOI: 10.1038/440164a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2005] [Accepted: 11/23/2005] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are bright flashes of high-energy photons that can last for tens of minutes; they are generally associated with galaxies that have a high rate of star formation and probably arise from the collapsing cores of massive stars, which produce highly relativistic jets (collapsar model). Here we describe gamma- and X-ray observations of the most distant GRB ever observed (GRB 050904): its redshift (z) of 6.29 means that this explosion happened 12.8 billion years ago, corresponding to a time when the Universe was just 890 million years old, close to the reionization era. This means that not only did stars form in this short period of time after the Big Bang, but also that enough time had elapsed for them to evolve and collapse into black holes.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Cusumano
- INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo, 90146 Palermo, Italy.
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8
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Haislip JB, Nysewander MC, Reichart DE, Levan A, Tanvir N, Cenko SB, Fox DB, Price PA, Castro-Tirado AJ, Gorosabel J, Evans CR, Figueredo E, MacLeod CL, Kirschbrown JR, Jelinek M, Guziy S, de Ugarte Postigo A, Cypriano ES, LaCluyze A, Graham J, Priddey R, Chapman R, Rhoads J, Fruchter AS, Lamb DQ, Kouveliotou C, Wijers RAMJ, Bayliss MB, Schmidt BP, Soderberg AM, Kulkarni SR, Harrison FA, Moon DS, Gal-Yam A, Kasliwal MM, Hudec R, Vitek S, Kubanek P, Crain JA, Foster AC, Clemens JC, Bartelme JW, Canterna R, Hartmann DH, Henden AA, Klose S, Park HS, Williams GG, Rol E, O'Brien P, Bersier D, Prada F, Pizarro S, Maturana D, Ugarte P, Alvarez A, Fernandez AJM, Jarvis MJ, Moles M, Alfaro E, Ivarsen KM, Kumar ND, Mack CE, Zdarowicz CM, Gehrels N, Barthelmy S, Burrows DN. A photometric redshift of z = 6.39 ± 0.12 for GRB 050904. Nature 2006; 440:181-3. [PMID: 16525465 DOI: 10.1038/nature04552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2005] [Accepted: 12/12/2005] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows are the most brilliant transient events in the Universe. Both the bursts themselves and their afterglows have been predicted to be visible out to redshifts of z approximately 20, and therefore to be powerful probes of the early Universe. The burst GRB 000131, at z = 4.50, was hitherto the most distant such event identified. Here we report the discovery of the bright near-infrared afterglow of GRB 050904 (ref. 4). From our measurements of the near-infrared afterglow, and our failure to detect the optical afterglow, we determine the photometric redshift of the burst to be z = 6.39 - 0.12 + 0.11 (refs 5-7). Subsequently, it was measured spectroscopically to be z = 6.29 +/- 0.01, in agreement with our photometric estimate. These results demonstrate that GRBs can be used to trace the star formation, metallicity, and reionization histories of the early Universe.
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Affiliation(s)
- J B Haislip
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 3255, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
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9
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Barthelmy SD, Chincarini G, Burrows DN, Gehrels N, Covino S, Moretti A, Romano P, O'Brien PT, Sarazin CL, Kouveliotou C, Goad M, Vaughan S, Tagliaferri G, Zhang B, Antonelli LA, Campana S, Cummings JR, D'Avanzo P, Davies MB, Giommi P, Grupe D, Kaneko Y, Kennea JA, King A, Kobayashi S, Melandri A, Meszaros P, Nousek JA, Patel S, Sakamoto T, Wijers RAMJ. An origin for short gamma-ray bursts unassociated with current star formation. Nature 2005; 438:994-6. [PMID: 16355219 DOI: 10.1038/nature04392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 262] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2005] [Accepted: 10/31/2005] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Two short (< 2 s) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have recently been localized and fading afterglow counterparts detected. The combination of these two results left unclear the nature of the host galaxies of the bursts, because one was a star-forming dwarf, while the other was probably an elliptical galaxy. Here we report the X-ray localization of a short burst (GRB 050724) with unusual gamma-ray and X-ray properties. The X-ray afterglow lies off the centre of an elliptical galaxy at a redshift of z = 0.258 (ref. 5), coincident with the position determined by ground-based optical and radio observations. The low level of star formation typical for elliptical galaxies makes it unlikely that the burst originated in a supernova explosion. A supernova origin was also ruled out for GRB 050709 (refs 3, 31), even though that burst took place in a galaxy with current star formation. The isotropic energy for the short bursts is 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than that for the long bursts. Our results therefore suggest that an alternative source of bursts--the coalescence of binary systems of neutron stars or a neutron star-black hole pair--are the progenitors of short bursts.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Barthelmy
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
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Gehrels N, Sarazin CL, O'Brien PT, Zhang B, Barbier L, Barthelmy SD, Blustin A, Burrows DN, Cannizzo J, Cummings JR, Goad M, Holland ST, Hurkett CP, Kennea JA, Levan A, Markwardt CB, Mason KO, Meszaros P, Page M, Palmer DM, Rol E, Sakamoto T, Willingale R, Angelini L, Beardmore A, Boyd PT, Breeveld A, Campana S, Chester MM, Chincarini G, Cominsky LR, Cusumano G, de Pasquale M, Fenimore EE, Giommi P, Gronwall C, Grupe D, Hill JE, Hinshaw D, Hjorth J, Hullinger D, Hurley KC, Klose S, Kobayashi S, Kouveliotou C, Krimm HA, Mangano V, Marshall FE, McGowan K, Moretti A, Mushotzky RF, Nakazawa K, Norris JP, Nousek JA, Osborne JP, Page K, Parsons AM, Patel S, Perri M, Poole T, Romano P, Roming PWA, Rosen S, Sato G, Schady P, Smale AP, Sollerman J, Starling R, Still M, Suzuki M, Tagliaferri G, Takahashi T, Tashiro M, Tueller J, Wells AA, White NE, Wijers RAMJ. A short γ-ray burst apparently associated with an elliptical galaxy at redshift z = 0.225. Nature 2005; 437:851-4. [PMID: 16208363 DOI: 10.1038/nature04142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 471] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2005] [Accepted: 08/10/2005] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) come in two classes: long (> 2 s), soft-spectrum bursts and short, hard events. Most progress has been made on understanding the long GRBs, which are typically observed at high redshift (z approximately 1) and found in subluminous star-forming host galaxies. They are likely to be produced in core-collapse explosions of massive stars. In contrast, no short GRB had been accurately (< 10'') and rapidly (minutes) located. Here we report the detection of the X-ray afterglow from--and the localization of--the short burst GRB 050509B. Its position on the sky is near a luminous, non-star-forming elliptical galaxy at a redshift of 0.225, which is the location one would expect if the origin of this GRB is through the merger of neutron-star or black-hole binaries. The X-ray afterglow was weak and faded below the detection limit within a few hours; no optical afterglow was detected to stringent limits, explaining the past difficulty in localizing short GRBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Gehrels
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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Burrows DN, Romano P, Falcone A, Kobayashi S, Zhang B, Moretti A, O'brien PT, Goad MR, Campana S, Page KL, Angelini L, Barthelmy S, Beardmore AP, Capalbi M, Chincarini G, Cummings J, Cusumano G, Fox D, Giommi P, Hill JE, Kennea JA, Krimm H, Mangano V, Marshall F, Mészáros P, Morris DC, Nousek JA, Osborne JP, Pagani C, Perri M, Tagliaferri G, Wells AA, Woosley S, Gehrels N. Bright X-ray Flares in Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows. Science 2005; 309:1833-5. [PMID: 16109845 DOI: 10.1126/science.1116168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 410] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows have provided important clues to the nature of these massive explosive events, providing direct information on the nearby environment and indirect information on the central engine that powers the burst. We report the discovery of two bright x-ray flares in GRB afterglows, including a giant flare comparable in total energy to the burst itself, each peaking minutes after the burst. These strong, rapid x-ray flares imply that the central engines of the bursts have long periods of activity, with strong internal shocks continuing for hundreds of seconds after the gamma-ray emission has ended.
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Affiliation(s)
- D N Burrows
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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Tagliaferri G, Goad M, Chincarini G, Moretti A, Campana S, Burrows DN, Perri M, Barthelmy SD, Gehrels N, Krimm H, Sakamoto T, Kumar P, Mészáros PI, Kobayashi S, Zhang B, Angelini L, Banat P, Beardmore AP, Capalbi M, Covino S, Cusumano G, Giommi P, Godet O, Hill JE, Kennea JA, Mangano V, Morris DC, Nousek JA, O'Brien PT, Osborne JP, Pagani C, Page KL, Romano P, Stella L, Wells A. An unexpectedly rapid decline in the X-ray afterglow emission of long γ-ray bursts. Nature 2005; 436:985-8. [PMID: 16107840 DOI: 10.1038/nature03934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2005] [Accepted: 06/14/2005] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
'Long' gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are commonly accepted to originate in the explosion of particularly massive stars, which give rise to highly relativistic jets. Inhomogeneities in the expanding flow result in internal shock waves that are believed to produce the gamma-rays we see. As the jet travels further outward into the surrounding circumstellar medium, 'external' shocks create the afterglow emission seen in the X-ray, optical and radio bands. Here we report observations of the early phases of the X-ray emission of five GRBs. Their X-ray light curves are characterised by a surprisingly rapid fall-off for the first few hundred seconds, followed by a less rapid decline lasting several hours. This steep decline, together with detailed spectral properties of two particular bursts, shows that violent shock interactions take place in the early jet outflows.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Tagliaferri
- INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate, Italy.
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Abstract
We present results from the first light observations of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant (SNR) by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Based on representative spectra from four selected regions, we investigate the processes of nucleosynthesis and mixing in Cas A. We make the first unequivocal identification of iron-rich ejecta produced by explosive silicon burning in a young Galactic SNR. Elsewhere in the remnant, we see silicon-rich ejecta from explosive oxygen burning. The Fe-rich ejecta lie outside the Si-rich material, indicating that bulk motions were extensive and energetic enough in Cas A to cause a spatial inversion of a significant portion of the supernova core. It is likely that this inversion was caused by "Fe"-rich ejecta emerging in plumes from the rising bubbles in the neutrino-driven convection layer during the supernova explosion. In addition, the radioactive decay energy from 56Ni may have contributed to the subsequent evolution of the material. We have also discovered faint, well-defined filaments with featureless X-ray spectra that are possibly sites of cosmic-ray acceleration in Cas A.
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Nousek JA, Garmire GP, Pipetti RJ, Burrows DN, Ku WH, Lum KS. Diamond-turned lacquer-coated soft x-ray telescope mirrors. Appl Opt 1988; 27:1430-1432. [PMID: 20531592 DOI: 10.1364/ao.27.001430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
X-ray astronomy has reached sufficient maturity to demand at least moderate angular resolution lightgathering telescopes to accompany detector development. Keeping the cost of such telescopes within the budget of low-cost flight opportunities such as sounding rockets and SPARTAN missions is a substantial challenge. We have developed a program of precision diamond mirror turning, mechanical polishing, lacquer coating, and metal deposition which produces x-ray telescopes with minute of arc angular resolution at moderate cost. We describe the process and report calibration results for a 80 cm (31.4 in.) diam Wolter I telescope flown aboard an Aries sounding rocket.
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