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Optimization of the Swift X-Ray Follow-Up of Advanced LIGO and Virgo Gravitational Wave Triggers in 2015-16One of the most exciting near-term prospects in physics is the potential discovery of gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors. To maximize both the confidence of the detection and the science return, it is essential to identify an electromagnetic counterpart.This is not trivial, as the events are expected to be poorly localized, particularly in the near-term, with error regions covering hundreds or even thousands of square degrees. In this paper, we discuss the prospects for finding an X-ray counterpart to a gravitational wave trigger with the Swift X-ray Telescope, using the assumption that the trigger is caused by a binary neutron star merger which also produces a short gamma-ray burst. We show that it is beneficial to target galaxies within the GW error region, highlighting the need for substantially complete galaxy catalogues out to distances of 300 Mpc. We also show that nearby, on-axis short GRBs are either extremely rare, or are systematically less luminous than those detected to date. We consider the prospects for detecting afterglow emission from an off-axis GRB which triggered the GW facilities, finding that the detectability, and the best time to look,are strongly dependent on the characteristics of the burst such as circumburst density and our viewing angle.
Document ID
20170003078
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Evans, P. A.
(Leicester Univ. United Kingdom)
Osborne, J. P.
(Leicester Univ. United Kingdom)
Kennea, J. A.
(Pennsylvania State Univ. University Park, PA, United States)
Campana, S.
(Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera Merate, Italy)
O'Brien, P. T.
(Leicester Univ. United Kingdom)
Tanvir, N. R.
(Leicester Univ. United Kingdom)
Racusin, J. L.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Burrows, D. N.
(Pennsylvania State Univ. University Park, PA, United States)
Cenko, S. B.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Gehrels, N.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Date Acquired
April 6, 2017
Publication Date
November 17, 2015
Publication Information
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Volume: 455
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0035-8711
e-ISSN: 1365-8711
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN41058
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: ASI-INAF C I/004/11/1
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
gravitational waves – methods: observational – gamma-ray burst: general –X

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