GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral

Collaborations
Oct 16, 2017
18 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.Lett. 119 (2017) 16, 161101
  • Published: Oct 16, 2017
e-Print:
Report number:
  • LIGO-P170817
Experiments:

Citations per year

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Abstract: (APS)
On August 17, 2017 at 12∶41:04 UTC the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors made their first observation of a binary neutron star inspiral. The signal, GW170817, was detected with a combined signal-to-noise ratio of 32.4 and a false-alarm-rate estimate of less than one per 8.0×104  years. We infer the component masses of the binary to be between 0.86 and 2.26  M⊙, in agreement with masses of known neutron stars. Restricting the component spins to the range inferred in binary neutron stars, we find the component masses to be in the range 1.17–1.60  M⊙, with the total mass of the system 2.74-0.01+0.04M⊙. The source was localized within a sky region of 28  deg2 (90% probability) and had a luminosity distance of 40-14+8  Mpc, the closest and most precisely localized gravitational-wave signal yet. The association with the γ-ray burst GRB 170817A, detected by Fermi-GBM 1.7 s after the coalescence, corroborates the hypothesis of a neutron star merger and provides the first direct evidence of a link between these mergers and short γ-ray bursts. Subsequent identification of transient counterparts across the electromagnetic spectrum in the same location further supports the interpretation of this event as a neutron star merger. This unprecedented joint gravitational and electromagnetic observation provides insight into astrophysics, dense matter, gravitation, and cosmology.
  • neutron star: binary
  • binary: mass
  • gamma ray: burst
  • gravitational radiation
  • gravitational radiation: emission
  • gravitational radiation: direct detection
  • electromagnetic
  • gravitation
  • gravitational radiation detector
  • cosmological model