Related papers: Could a Kilonova Kill: a Threat Assessment
X-ray lines have been recently detected in the afterglows of a few gamma-ray bursts. We derive constraints on the physical conditions in the line-emitting gas, using as an example the multiple K$_\alpha$ lines detected by Reeves et al.…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are flashes of high-energy radiation arising from energetic cosmic explosions. Bursts of long (>2 s) duration are produced by the core-collapse of massive stars, those of short (< 2 s) duration by the merger of two…
The coalescence of binary neutron stars can yield the expulsion of a fast-moving, quasi-isotropic material, which may induce thermal radiation and give rise to kilonova emission. Moreover, the interaction between the ejected material and…
The recent discovery of a faint gamma-ray burst (GRB) coincident with the gravitational wave (GW) event GW 170817 revealed the existence of a population of low-luminosity short duration gamma-ray transients produced by neutron star mergers…
The gravitational wave event GW170817 associated with the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) 170817A confirms that binary neutron star (BNS) mergers are one of the origins of short GRBs. The associated kilonova emission, radioactively powered by…
Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows are likely produced in the shock that is driven as the GRB jet interacts with the external medium. Long-duration GRBs are also associated with powerful supernovae (SNe). We consider the optical and radio…
We present detailed simulations of black hole-neutron star (BH-NS) mergers kilonova and gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow and kilonova luminosity function, and discuss the detectability of electromagnetic (EM) counterpart in connection with…
For the first $\sim3$ years after the binary neutron star merger event GW 170817 the radio and X-ray radiation has been dominated by emission from a structured relativistic off-axis jet propagating into a low-density medium with n $<…
The short-duration ($\lesssim2\;$s) GRB 170817A in the nearby ($D=40\;$Mpc) elliptical galaxy NGC 4993 is the first electromagnetic counterpart of the first gravitational wave (GW) detection of a binary neutron-star (NS-NS) merger. It was…
In addition to a $\gamma$-ray burst (GRB), the merger of two neutron stars may produce a temporarily or indefinitely stable neutron star remnant with a strong magnetic field (a "magnetar"). As this magnetar remnant spins down, it can…
Since their identification with cosmological distances, Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been recognised as the most energetic phenomena in the Universe, with an isotropic burst energy as high as 10^54 ergs. However, the progenitors responsible…
The binary neutron star merger GW170817 was the first multi-messenger event observed in both gravitational and electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic signal began approximately 2 seconds post-merger with a weak, short burst of…
Recent observations suggest that gamma ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows are produced by highly relativistic jets emitted in core collapse supernova explosions (SNe). The result of the event, probably, is not just a compact object plus…
GRB 160821B is a short duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected and localized by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory in the outskirts of a spiral galaxy at z=0.1613, at a projected physical offset of 16 kpc from the galaxy's center. We…
We present Very Large Array (VLA) and Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array ALMA radio observations of GW\,170817, the first Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) event from a…
A long-standing paradigm in astrophysics is that collisions- or mergers- of two neutron stars (NSs) form highly relativistic and collimated outflows (jets) powering gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) of short (< 2 s) duration. However, the…
The 2017 detection of a kilonova coincident with gravitational-wave emission has identified neutron star mergers as the major source of the heaviest elements, and dramatically constrained alternative theories of gravity. Observing a…
The initial burst of a gamma ray burst (GRB) is usually followed by a longer-lived afterglow emitted at longer wavelengths. The evidence for a physical connection between GRBs and core collapse supernovae (SN) has increased since the…
Kilonovae are cosmic optical flashes produced in the aftermath of the merger of two neutron stars. While the typical radiant flux of a kilonova can be as high as $10^{34}$\,W, they typically occur at cosmological distances, requiring…
An energetic $\rm \gamma$-ray burst (GRB), GRB 211211A, was observed on 2021 December 11 by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Despite its long duration, typically associated with bursts produced by the collapse of massive stars, the…