Compact radio emission indicates a structured jet was produced by a binary neutron star merger

G. Ghirlanda; O. S. Salafia; S. Covino; S. Frey; L. I. Gurvits; P. G. Jonker; H. J. Van Langevelde; A. Melandri; C. Reynolds; null More Authors

doi:10.1126/science.aau8815

Compact radio emission indicates a structured jet was produced by a binary neutron star merger

G. Ghirlanda^*, O. S. Salafia, S. Covino, S. Frey, L. I. Gurvits, P. G. Jonker, H. J. Van Langevelde, A. Melandri, C. Reynolds, More Authors

^*Corresponding author for this work

Astrodynamics & Space Missions

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271 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The binary neutron star merger event GW170817 was detected through both electromagnetic radiation and gravitational waves. Its afterglow emission may have been produced by either a narrow relativistic jet or an isotropic outflow. High-spatial-resolution measurements of the source size and displacement can discriminate between these scenarios. We present very-long-baseline interferometry observations, performed 207.4 days after the merger by using a global network of 32 radio telescopes. The apparent source size is constrained to be smaller than 2.5 milli-arc seconds at the 90% confidence level. This excludes the isotropic outflow scenario, which would have produced a larger apparent size, indicating that GW170817 produced a structured relativistic jet. Our rate calculations show that at least 10% of neutron star mergers produce such a jet.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	968-971
Number of pages	4
Journal	Science
Volume	363
Issue number	6430
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau8815
Publication status	Published - 2019

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title = "Compact radio emission indicates a structured jet was produced by a binary neutron star merger",

abstract = "The binary neutron star merger event GW170817 was detected through both electromagnetic radiation and gravitational waves. Its afterglow emission may have been produced by either a narrow relativistic jet or an isotropic outflow. High-spatial-resolution measurements of the source size and displacement can discriminate between these scenarios. We present very-long-baseline interferometry observations, performed 207.4 days after the merger by using a global network of 32 radio telescopes. The apparent source size is constrained to be smaller than 2.5 milli-arc seconds at the 90% confidence level. This excludes the isotropic outflow scenario, which would have produced a larger apparent size, indicating that GW170817 produced a structured relativistic jet. Our rate calculations show that at least 10% of neutron star mergers produce such a jet.",

author = "G. Ghirlanda and Salafia, {O. S.} and S. Covino and S. Frey and Gurvits, {L. I.} and Jonker, {P. G.} and {Van Langevelde}, {H. J.} and A. Melandri and C. Reynolds and {More Authors}",

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doi = "10.1126/science.aau8815",

language = "English",

volume = "363",

pages = "968--971",

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T1 - Compact radio emission indicates a structured jet was produced by a binary neutron star merger

AU - Ghirlanda, G.

AU - Salafia, O. S.

AU - Covino, S.

AU - Frey, S.

AU - Gurvits, L. I.

AU - Jonker, P. G.

AU - Van Langevelde, H. J.

AU - Melandri, A.

AU - Reynolds, C.

AU - More Authors, null

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - The binary neutron star merger event GW170817 was detected through both electromagnetic radiation and gravitational waves. Its afterglow emission may have been produced by either a narrow relativistic jet or an isotropic outflow. High-spatial-resolution measurements of the source size and displacement can discriminate between these scenarios. We present very-long-baseline interferometry observations, performed 207.4 days after the merger by using a global network of 32 radio telescopes. The apparent source size is constrained to be smaller than 2.5 milli-arc seconds at the 90% confidence level. This excludes the isotropic outflow scenario, which would have produced a larger apparent size, indicating that GW170817 produced a structured relativistic jet. Our rate calculations show that at least 10% of neutron star mergers produce such a jet.

AB - The binary neutron star merger event GW170817 was detected through both electromagnetic radiation and gravitational waves. Its afterglow emission may have been produced by either a narrow relativistic jet or an isotropic outflow. High-spatial-resolution measurements of the source size and displacement can discriminate between these scenarios. We present very-long-baseline interferometry observations, performed 207.4 days after the merger by using a global network of 32 radio telescopes. The apparent source size is constrained to be smaller than 2.5 milli-arc seconds at the 90% confidence level. This excludes the isotropic outflow scenario, which would have produced a larger apparent size, indicating that GW170817 produced a structured relativistic jet. Our rate calculations show that at least 10% of neutron star mergers produce such a jet.

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U2 - 10.1126/science.aau8815

DO - 10.1126/science.aau8815

M3 - Article

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VL - 363

SP - 968

EP - 971

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6430

ER -

Compact radio emission indicates a structured jet was produced by a binary neutron star merger

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