GW170817: observation of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star inspiral

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration; Denis Martynov

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101

GW170817: observation of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star inspiral

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Virgo Collaboration, Denis Martynov

Physics and Astronomy

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Abstract

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.

Original language	English
Article number	161101
Number of pages	18
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	119
Issue number	16
Early online date	16 Oct 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101
Publication status	Published - 20 Oct 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physics and Astronomy(all)

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

AbbottBP2017GW170817Observation
GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral, B. P. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 161101 – Published 16 October 2017
Final published version, 1.53 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

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@article{c8a9fa5860a644ae95c42ec3018f39a1,

title = "GW170817: observation of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star inspiral",

abstract = "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.",

author = "Abbott, {B. P.} and R. Abbott and Abbott, {T. D.} and F. Acernese and K. Ackley and C. Adams and T. Adams and P. Addesso and Adhikari, {R. X.} and Adya, {V. B.} and C. Affeldt and M. Afrough and B. Agarwal and M. Agathos and K. Agatsuma and N. Aggarwal and Aguiar, {O. D.} and L. Aiello and A. Ain and P. Ajith and B. Allen and G. Allen and A. Allocca and Altin, {P. A.} and A. Amato and A. Ananyeva and Anderson, {S. B.} and Anderson, {W. G.} and Angelova, {S. V.} and S. Antier and S. Appert and K. Arai and Araya, {M. C.} and Berry, {C. P.L.} and Cooper, {S. J.} and {Del Pozzo}, W. and {Dovale {\'A}lvarez}, M. and B. Farr and Farr, {W. M.} and A. Freise and Gaebel, {S. M.} and Haster, {C. J.} and H. Miao and H. Middleton and Mow-Lowry, {C. M.} and Stops, {D. J.} and D. T{\"o}yr{\"a} and A. Vecchio and S. Vinciguerra and H. Wang and {The LIGO Scientific Collaboration} and {Virgo Collaboration} and Denis Martynov",

year = "2017",

month = oct,

day = "20",

doi = "10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101",

language = "English",

volume = "119",

journal = "Physical Review Letters",

issn = "0031-9007",

publisher = "American Physical Society (APS)",

number = "16",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - GW170817: observation of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star inspiral

AU - Abbott, B. P.

AU - Abbott, R.

AU - Abbott, T. D.

AU - Acernese, F.

AU - Ackley, K.

AU - Adams, C.

AU - Adams, T.

AU - Addesso, P.

AU - Adhikari, R. X.

AU - Adya, V. B.

AU - Affeldt, C.

AU - Afrough, M.

AU - Agarwal, B.

AU - Agathos, M.

AU - Agatsuma, K.

AU - Aggarwal, N.

AU - Aguiar, O. D.

AU - Aiello, L.

AU - Ain, A.

AU - Ajith, P.

AU - Allen, B.

AU - Allen, G.

AU - Allocca, A.

AU - Altin, P. A.

AU - Amato, A.

AU - Ananyeva, A.

AU - Anderson, S. B.

AU - Anderson, W. G.

AU - Angelova, S. V.

AU - Antier, S.

AU - Appert, S.

AU - Arai, K.

AU - Araya, M. C.

AU - Berry, C. P.L.

AU - Cooper, S. J.

AU - Del Pozzo, W.

AU - Dovale Álvarez, M.

AU - Farr, B.

AU - Farr, W. M.

AU - Freise, A.

AU - Gaebel, S. M.

AU - Haster, C. J.

AU - Miao, H.

AU - Middleton, H.

AU - Mow-Lowry, C. M.

AU - Stops, D. J.

AU - Töyrä, D.

AU - Vecchio, A.

AU - Vinciguerra, S.

AU - Wang, H.

AU - The LIGO Scientific Collaboration

AU - Virgo Collaboration

AU - Martynov, Denis

PY - 2017/10/20

Y1 - 2017/10/20

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85031911991&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85031911991

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 119

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 16

M1 - 161101

ER -

GW170817: observation of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star inspiral

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