arXiv subjects

M. Branchesi

Publications and source records attributed to M. Branchesi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Core-Collapse Supernova detections from Einstein Telescope within the Milky Way

Core-collapse supernovae are key drivers of galaxy evolution and promising sources of gravitational waves, which provide a unique probe of the physics driving their explosion mechanism. Third-generation detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope, will dramatically improve the prospects for detecting these signals. This study assesses the capability of the Einstein Telescope, alone and in synergy with next-generation detectors such as Cosmic Explorer, to detect gravitational waves from core-collapse supernovae. We estimate the detection horizons and expected event rates for sources in the Milky Way and nearby satellite galaxies. We employed the GWFish simulation framework, customized to include core-collapse supernovae waveform catalogs from state-of-the-art 3D simulations and stellar population data generated with TRILEGAL. This approach allows us to model gravitational waves detectability as a function of progenitor mass, source position and detector network configuration. Our analysis shows that the Einstein Telescope can detect gravitational waves from PNS-driven core-collapse supernovae up to distances ranging from ~20 to more than 100 kpc with a 90% confidence level, depending on the progenitor mass and waveform, while a combination of this detector in a network can extend the reach up to ~170 kpc in the most favorable cases. For a representative 15 M_sun progenitor, ET (in its 2L configuration) achieves a detection horizon of ~100 kpc, ensuring essentially complete coverage of the Milky Way and partial coverage of the Magellanic Clouds.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Gravitational wave detectability range informed by external messengers

A rapid estimate of gravitational-wave (GW) detectability associated with astronomical transients is crucial for optimizing multi-messenger follow-up strategies and for constraining the physical origin of the transient itself. We introduce here the Targeted Detectability Range (TDR), designed to evaluate, with minimal computational effort, the detectability of compact binary coalescences under the hypothesis of association with an external messenger, such as an electromagnetic or neutrino signal. Unlike the standard GW range, which is based on averaged source parameters, the TDR incorporates prior information from observations of the external messenger, including sky localization, inclination constraints, and physically motivated bounds on component masses. We report the TDR of all short- and long-duration gamma-ray bursts, observed during the first three observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The method is validated by performing a systematic comparison with the 90$\%$ exclusion distances provided by modeled targeted GW searches. In the absence of a coincident detection by all-sky, all-time GW searches, the TDR provides a rapid and quantitative constraint on a possible merger origin of the astrophysical source. Its low-latency implementation and public availability would enable timely prioritization of follow-up observations and optimized allocation of observational resources, with direct impact on the physical interpretation of astronomical transients.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

ENGRAVE follow-up of a type IIb supernova spatially coincident with the sub-threshold gravitational wave trigger S250818k

The candidate gravitational wave (GW) event S250818k was one of only three non-retracted LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA public alerts issued during the fourth observing run of the network (O4) with a binary neutron star (BNS) merger classification probability exceeding one percent. This triggered a prompt search for a potential electromagnetic (EM) counterpart in the large localisation error region (949 deg$^2$ projected in the sky at 90% credible level). The transient SN2025ulz, discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) during the search, attracted a great deal of attention due to a potential spatial and temporal coincidence, and due to its initial fast decay and featureless spectrum. Here, we report on the follow up of this transient by the Electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources at the Very Large Telescope (ENGRAVE) Collaboration. We conducted an extensive multi-wavelength observational campaign, which led to the spectral classification of the transient as a type IIb supernova (SN), indicating that it is unrelated to the candidate GW event. In this article, we describe our observing strategies, data reduction, and interpretation. All of our results confirm and strengthen our classification of the source, and also show that shock cooling tails associated with type IIb SNe are one of the most prominent contaminants in kilonova searches.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Detection of TeV emission during early afterglow from poorly localized GRBs with ground based IACTs

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the most luminous and rapidly evolving transients in the Universe. While space-based instruments have extended GRB observations up to energies of $\sim$100 GeV, the detection of very-high-energy (VHE; $E>100$ GeV) emission from ground-based telescopes, especially during prompt or/and the early afterglow phase, remains challenging. These difficulties arise from the rapid temporal decay of GRB afterglows, strong attenuation by the extragalactic background light (EBL), observational latency, and the typical poor sky localization provided by MeV-detectors such as Fermi/GBM. In this work, we investigate the prospects for detecting TeV ($\sim$100 GeV--1 TeV) emission from poorly localized GRBs by adopting optimized follow-up strategies based on rapid tiling of large localization regions. We simulate a realistic population of GRBs informed by more than fifteen years of Fermi/GBM and Swift/XRT detections and recent progresses in the afterglow emission modeling. Using these simulations, we evaluate the detectability of GRB early afterglows by the next-generation Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, equipped with larger field-of-view (FoV), as a function of latency, exposure time, and observational strategy. Our strategy can significantly enhance the detection rate; for instruments such as ASTRI and LACT, it increases by up to a factor of two compared to strategies limited to well-localized (Swift-like) events. For CTAO, our proposed approach provides up to four VHE detections per year.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Advanced Virgo Plus for O5 -- Design Report Overview

This document presents an overview of the design, implementation, and expected performance of the Advanced Virgo Plus (AdV+) upgrades in view of the O5 observing run. Following the experience gained during the O4 commissioning and operations, the Virgo Collaboration has revised the upgrade strategy to address limitations associated with marginally stable recycling cavities. The O5 upgrade program combines elements from the original AdV+ Phase II project with new design solutions, including the implementation of stable recycling cavities, a major modification to the central interferometer layout, and a comprehensive renewal of critical subsystems. The planned upgrades are organized in two steps, targeting progressive improvements in operational stability, noise reduction, and detector sensitivity. Key developments include new vacuum infrastructures, suspensions, mirrors, optical configurations, quantum noise reduction systems, and high-power laser technologies. The resulting configuration is expected to significantly enhance the interferometer performance, enabling a substantial increase in astrophysical reach and scientific return during O5.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Uncovering the population of compact binary mergers and their formation pathways with gravitational waves through the Einstein Telescope

Ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) observatories have transformed our view of compact-object mergers, yet their reach still limits a comprehensive reconstruction of the processes that generate these systems. Only next-generation observatories, with order-of-magnitude improvements in sensitivity and access to lower frequencies, will be capable of radically extending this detection horizon. GW observations will make it possible to detect the complete population of binary black hole (BBH) mergers out to redshifts of $z \simeq 100$. This capability will deliver an unprecedented map of merger events across cosmic time and enable precise reconstruction of their mass and spin distributions, while for several thousand events the signal-to-noise ratio will surpass 100, enabling precision physics of BHs and neutron stars (NSs). The access to lower frequencies will also open the intermediate-mass window, detecting systems of order $\sim 10^3 M_\odot$, potentially in coordination with multi-band observations from LISA. At higher redshifts, where Population III stars have so far remained beyond reach - even for the James Webb Space Telescope - GW observations by next-generation detectors will routinely provide observations of BH mergers thought to originate from these primordial stellar populations. Such measurements are expected to play a central role in clarifying the early assembly of supermassive black holes. A single detection of a binary BH system at $z \gtrsim 30$, or of a compact object with sub-solar mass and no tidal deformability, would constitute strong evidence for the existence of primordial black holes. Such a discovery would have profound consequences for our understanding of dark matter and the early Universe. Ultimately, the GW observations will become revolutionary for identifying the physical channels responsible for compact binary formation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Normal or transitional? The evolution and properties of two type Ia supernovae in the Virgo cluster

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are among the most precise cosmological distance indicators used to study the expansion history of the Universe. The vast increase of SN Ia data due to large-scale astrophysical surveys has led to the discovery of a wide variety of SN Ia sub-classes, such as transitional and fast-declining SNe Ia. However, their distinct photometric and spectroscopic properties differentiate them from the population of normal SNe Ia such that their use as cosmological tools remains challenged. Here, we present a high-cadenced photometric and spectroscopic dataset of two SNe Ia, SNe 2020ue and 2020nlb, which were discovered in the nearby Virgo cluster of galaxies. Our study shows that SN 2020nlb is a normal SN Ia whose unusually red color is intrinsic, arising from a lower photospheric temperature rather than interstellar reddening, providing clear evidence that color diversity among normal SNe Ia can have a physical origin. In contrast, SN 2020ue has photometric properties, such as color evolution and light-curve decay rate, similar to those of transitional SNe, spectroscopically it is more aligned with normal SNe Ia. This is evident from spectroscopic indicators such as the pseudo-equivalent width of \ion{Si}{II} lines. Thus, such SNe Ia that are photometrically at the edge of the standard normal SNe Ia range may be missed in cosmological SNe Ia samples. Our results highlight that spectroscopic analysis of SNe Ia around peak brightness is crucial for identifying intrinsic color variations and constructing a more complete and physically homogeneous SN Ia sample for precision cosmology.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

From X-rays to High-Energy Gamma-rays: A Comprehensive Multi-Wavelength Study of Early Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) generate powerful relativistic jets that inject a large amount of energy into their surrounding environment, producing blast waves that accelerate particles to high energies. The GRB afterglow radiation provides a powerful means to investigate the microphysics of relativistic shocks and to probe the medium surrounding the progenitor of the burst. In this study, we present a comprehensive multiwavelength analysis of 31 GRBs observed between 2008 and 2024 from the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (X-ray Telescope and Burst Alert Telescope) and the Fermi Large Area Telescope, covering photon energies from 0.3 keV to 300 GeV. Our goal is to characterize the broadband spectral properties of GRB afterglows in soft X-rays, hard X-rays, and high-energy gamma rays. We investigate correlations between spectral shape and energy output across different parts of the spectrum. The observed emission is modeled using a forward shock scenario that includes both synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) radiation losses. The results favor an SSC-dominated radiation model in a wind-like medium, consistent with expectations for long-duration GRBs. Crucially, this work provides new benchmarks for the microphysical parameters governing the emission, particularly indicating a notably low magnetic energy fraction, which refines previous estimates. By modeling broadband data, this study offers one of the most detailed SSC analyses in a wind-like environment to date. Notably, our results naturally account for the comparable energy output observed in both the soft X-ray and TeV bands, consistent with the previously detected TeV-GRBs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Multi-messenger observations of binary neutron star mergers: synergies between the next generation gravitational wave interferometers and wide-field, high-multiplex spectroscopic facilities

Third-generation gravitational wave (GW) observatories such as the Einstein Telescope (ET) and Cosmic Explorer (CE) will detect hundreds of thousands of binary neutron star (BNS) mergers, reaching redshifts beyond $z\sim3$. To fully exploit joint GW and electromagnetic (EM) detections, dedicated strategies and adapted EM facilities are essential. We investigate the role of Integral Field and Multi-Object Spectroscopy (IFS and MOS) with the Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST) on next generation GW multi-messenger (MM) observations. We consider simulations of BNS populations, their GW detections with ET(+CE), and their EM counterparts: kilonovae (KNe) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We consider two strategies: one in synergy with wide-field photometric surveys, and a galaxy-targeted one exploiting WST high multiplexing. We estimate the number of galaxies in GW error volumes, and identify observational challenges and mitigation strategies. We find that WST can detect KNe up to $z\sim0.4$ and $m_{\mathrm{AB}}\sim25$, and GRB afterglows beyond $z>1$ for $\Theta_{\mathrm{view}}\lesssim15^\circ$. KN observations are best scheduled 12-24 hours post-merger. For poorly localised GRBs, WST IFS can aid the identification. Mini-IFUs and galaxy catalogues complete to $z\leq0.5$ are key to EM counterpart detection. Even at low $z$, the number of galaxies can be huge-thousands at $z<0.1$, tens of thousands at $z<0.2$. Events at $z<0.3$ with localisation $<10$deg$^{2}$ are golden cases for WST, requiring few exposures to target all galaxies. Detecting and characterising EM counterparts of BNS detected in the extended volume explored by next-generation interferometers will be challenging. We show that high-sensitivity, wide-field, high-multiplex spectroscopic facilities are powerful instruments to fully exploit the new multi-messenger science opportunities enabled by next generation GW detectors.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Prospects for optical detections from binary neutron star mergers with the next-generation multi-messenger observatories

Next-generation gravitational wave (GW) observatories, such as the Einstein Telescope (ET) and Cosmic Explorer, will observe binary neutron star (BNS) mergers across cosmic history, providing precise parameter estimates for the closest ones. Innovative wide-field observatories, such as the Vera Rubin Observatory, will quickly cover large portions of the sky with unprecedented sensitivity to detect faint transients. This study aims to assess the prospects for detecting optical emissions from BNS mergers with next-generation detectors, considering how uncertainties in neutron star (NS) population properties and microphysics may affect detection rates. Starting from BNS merger populations exploiting different NS mass distributions and equations of state (EOSs), we model the GW and kilonova (KN) signals based on source properties. We model KN ejecta through numerical-relativity informed fits, considering the effect of prompt collapse of the remnant to black hole and new fitting formulas appropriate for more massive BNS systems, like GW190425. We include optical afterglow emission from relativistic jets consistent with observed short gamma-ray bursts. We evaluate the detected mergers and the source parameter estimations for different geometries of ET, operating alone or in a network of current or next-generation GW detectors. Finally, we estimate the number of detected optical signals simulating realistic observational strategies by the Rubin Observatory. ET as a single observatory will enable the detection of about ten to a hundred KNe per year by the Rubin Observatory. This improves by a factor of about 10 already when operating in the network with current GW detectors. Detection rate uncertainties are dominated by the poorly constrained local BNS merger rate, and depend to a lesser extent on the NS mass distribution and EOS.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Cosmological coupling of nonsingular black holes

We show that -- in the framework of general relativity (GR) -- if black holes (BHs) are singularity-free objects, they couple to the large-scale cosmological dynamics. We find that the leading contribution to the resulting growth of the BH mass ($M_{\rm BH}$) as a function of the scale factor $a$ stems from the curvature term, yielding $M_{\rm BH} \propto a^k$, with $k=1$. We demonstrate that such a linear scaling is universal for spherically-symmetric objects, and it is the only contribution in the case of regular BHs. For nonsingular horizonless compact objects we instead obtain an additional subleading model-dependent term. We conclude that GR nonsingular BHs/horizonless compact objects, although cosmologically coupled, are unlikely to be the source of dark energy. We test our prediction with astrophysical data by analysing the redshift dependence of the mass growth of supermassive BHs in a sample of elliptical galaxies at redshift $z=0.8 -0.9$. We also compare our theoretical prediction with higher redshift BH mass measurements obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We find that, while $k=1$ is compatible within $1 σ$ with JWST results, the data from elliptical galaxies at $z=0.8 -0.9$ favour values of $k>1$. New samples of BHs covering larger mass and redshift ranges and more precise BH mass measurements are required to settle the issue.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Panning for gold, but finding helium: discovery of the ultra-stripped supernova SN2019wxt from gravitational-wave follow-up observations

We present the results from multi-wavelength observations of a transient discovered during the follow-up of S191213g, a gravitational wave (GW) event reported by the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration as a possible binary neutron star merger in a low latency search. This search yielded SN2019wxt, a young transient in a galaxy whose sky position (in the 80\% GW contour) and distance ($\sim$150\,Mpc) were plausibly compatible with the localisation uncertainty of the GW event. Initially, the transient's tightly constrained age, its relatively faint peak magnitude ($M_i \sim -16.7$\,mag) and the $r-$band decline rate of $\sim 1$\,mag per 5\,days appeared suggestive of a compact binary merger. However, SN2019wxt spectroscopically resembled a type Ib supernova, and analysis of the optical-near-infrared evolution rapidly led to the conclusion that while it could not be associated with S191213g, it nevertheless represented an extreme outcome of stellar evolution. By modelling the light curve, we estimated an ejecta mass of $\sim 0.1\,M_\odot$, with $^{56}$Ni comprising $\sim 20\%$ of this. We were broadly able to reproduce its spectral evolution with a composition dominated by helium and oxygen, with trace amounts of calcium. We considered various progenitors that could give rise to the observed properties of SN2019wxt, and concluded that an ultra-stripped origin in a binary system is the most likely explanation. Disentangling electromagnetic counterparts to GW events from transients such as SN2019wxt is challenging: in a bid to characterise the level of contamination, we estimated the rate of events with properties comparable to those of SN2019wxt and found that $\sim 1$ such event per week can occur within the typical GW localisation area of O4 alerts out to a luminosity distance of 500\,Mpc, beyond which it would become fainter than the typical depth of current electromagnetic follow-up campaigns.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Virgo Detector Characterization and Data Quality: results from the O3 run

The Advanced Virgo detector has contributed with its data to the rapid growth of the number of detected gravitational-wave (GW) signals in the past few years, alongside the two Advanced LIGO instruments. First during the last month of the Observation Run 2 (O2) in August 2017 (with, most notably, the compact binary mergers GW170814 and GW170817), and then during the full Observation Run 3 (O3): an 11-months data taking period, between April 2019 and March 2020, that led to the addition of about 80 events to the catalog of transient GW sources maintained by LIGO, Virgo and now KAGRA. These discoveries and the manifold exploitation of the detected waveforms require an accurate characterization of the quality of the data, such as continuous study and monitoring of the detector noise sources. These activities, collectively named {\em detector characterization and data quality} or {\em DetChar}, span the whole workflow of the Virgo data, from the instrument front-end hardware to the final analyses. They are described in details in the following article, with a focus on the results achieved by the Virgo DetChar group during the O3 run. Concurrently, a companion article describes the tools that have been used by the Virgo DetChar group to perform this work.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Virgo Detector Characterization and Data Quality: tools

Detector characterization and data quality studies -- collectively referred to as {\em DetChar} activities in this article -- are paramount to the scientific exploitation of the joint dataset collected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA global network of ground-based gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. They take place during each phase of the operation of the instruments (upgrade, tuning and optimization, data taking), are required at all steps of the dataflow (from data acquisition to the final list of GW events) and operate at various latencies (from near real-time to vet the public alerts to offline analyses). This work requires a wide set of tools which have been developed over the years to fulfill the requirements of the various DetChar studies: data access and bookkeeping; global monitoring of the instruments and of the different steps of the data processing; studies of the global properties of the noise at the detector outputs; identification and follow-up of noise peculiar features (whether they be transient or continuously present in the data); quick processing of the public alerts. The present article reviews all the tools used by the Virgo DetChar group during the third LIGO-Virgo Observation Run (O3, from April 2019 to March 2020), mainly to analyse the Virgo data acquired at EGO. Concurrently, a companion article focuses on the results achieved by the DetChar group during the O3 run using these tools.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Flaring activity from magnetic reconnection in BL Lacertae

The evolution of the spectral energy distribution during flares constrains models of particle acceleration in blazar jets. The archetypical blazar BL Lac provided a unique opportunity to study spectral variations during an extended strong flaring episode from 2020-2021. During its brightest $γ$-ray state, the observed flux (0.1-300 GeV) reached up to $2.15\,\times\,10^{-5}\,\rm{ph\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}}$, with sub-hour scale variability. The synchrotron hump extended into the X-ray regime showing a minute-scale flare with an associated peak shift of inverse-Compton hump in gamma-rays. In shock acceleration models, a high Doppler factor value $>$100 is required to explain the observed rapid variability, change of state, and $γ$-ray peak shift. Assuming particle acceleration in mini-jets produced by magnetic reconnection during flares, on the other hand, alleviates the constraint on required bulk Doppler factor. In such jet-in-jet models, observed spectral shift to higher energies (towards TeV regime) and simultaneous rapid variability arises from the accidental alignment of a magnetic plasmoid with the direction of the line of sight. We infer a magnetic field of $\sim0.6\,\rm{G}$ in a reconnection region located at the edge of BLR ($\sim0.02\,\rm{pc}$). The scenario is further supported by log-normal flux distribution arising from merging of plasmoids in reconnection region.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

The Virgo O3 run and the impact of the environment

Sources of geophysical noise (such as wind, sea waves and earthquakes) or of anthropogenic noise impact ground-based gravitational-wave interferometric detectors, causing transient sensitivity worsening and gaps in data taking. During the one year-long third Observing Run (O3: from April 01, 2019 to March 27, 2020), the Virgo Collaboration collected a statistically significant dataset, used in this article to study the response of the detector to a variety of environmental conditions. We correlated environmental parameters to global detector performance, such as observation range, duty cycle and control losses. Where possible, we identified weaknesses in the detector that will be used to elaborate strategies in order to improve Virgo robustness against external disturbances for the next data taking period, O4, currently planned to start at the end of 2022. The lessons learned could also provide useful insights for the design of the next generation of ground-based interferometers.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Virgo Detector Characterization and Data Quality during the O3 run

The Advanced Virgo detector has contributed with its data to the rapid growth of the number of detected gravitational-wave signals in the past few years, alongside the two LIGO instruments. First, during the last month of the Observation Run 2 (O2) in August 2017 (with, most notably, the compact binary mergers GW170814 and GW170817) and then during the full Observation Run 3 (O3): an 11 months data taking period, between April 2019 and March 2020, that led to the addition of about 80 events to the catalog of transient gravitational-wave sources maintained by LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA. These discoveries and the manifold exploitation of the detected waveforms require an accurate characterization of the quality of the data, such as continuous study and monitoring of the detector noise. These activities, collectively named {\em detector characterization} or {\em DetChar}, span the whole workflow of the Virgo data, from the instrument front-end to the final analysis. They are described in details in the following article, with a focus on the associated tools, the results achieved by the Virgo DetChar group during the O3 run and the main prospects for future data-taking periods with an improved detector.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Calibration of Advanced Virgo and reconstruction of detector strain h(t) during the Observing Run O3

The three Advanced Virgo and LIGO gravitational wave detectors participated to the third observing run (O3) between 1 April 2019 15:00 UTC and 27 March 2020 17:00 UTC,leading to several gravitational wave detections per month. This paper describes the Advanced Virgo detector calibration and the reconstruction of the detector strain $h(t)$ during O3, as well as the estimation of the associated uncertainties. For the first time, the photon calibration technique as been used as reference for Virgo calibration, which allowed to cross-calibrate the strain amplitude of the Virgo and LIGO detectors. The previous reference, so-called free swinging Michelson technique, has still been used but as an independent cross-check. $h(t)$ reconstruction and noise subtraction were processed online, with good enough quality to prevent the need for offline reprocessing, except for the two last weeks of September 2019. The uncertainties for the reconstructed $h(t)$ strain, estimated in this paper in a 20-2000~Hz frequency band, are frequency independent: 5% in amplitude, 35 mrad in phase and 10 $μ$s in timing, with the exception of larger uncertainties around 50 Hz.

gr-qc↗