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arXiv · 1710.05452

Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the Optical Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source

D. A. Coulter·R. J. Foley·C. D. Kilpatrick·M. R. Drout·A. L. Piro·B. J. Shappee·M. R. Siebert·J. D. Simon·N. Ulloa·D. Kasen·B. F. Madore·A. Murguia-Berthier·Y. -C. Pan·J. X. Prochaska·E. Ramirez-Ruiz·A. Rest·C. Rojas-Bravo
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Abstract

On 2017 August 17, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo interferometer detected gravitational waves emanating from a binary neutron star merger, GW170817. Nearly simultaneously, the Fermi and INTEGRAL telescopes detected a gamma-ray transient, GRB 170817A. 10.9 hours after the gravitational wave trigger, we discovered a transient and fading optical source, Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), coincident with GW170817. SSS17a is located in NGC 4993, an S0 galaxy at a distance of 40 megaparsecs. The precise location of GW170817 provides an opportunity to probe the nature of these cataclysmic events by combining electromagnetic and gravitational-wave observations.

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D. A. Coulter, R. J. Foley, C. D. Kilpatrick, M. R. Drout, A. L. Piro, B. J. Shappee, M. R. Siebert, J. D. Simon, N. Ulloa, D. Kasen, B. F. Madore, A. Murguia-Berthier, Y. -C. Pan, J. X. Prochaska, E. Ramirez-Ruiz, A. Rest, C. Rojas-Bravo. 2017-10-16. Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the Optical Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap9811

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