Optical follow-up of gravitational wave events during the second advanced LIGO/VIRGO observing run with the DLT40 Survey

Abstract

We describe the GW follow-up strategy and subsequent results of the DLT40 during the second science run (O2) of the LVC. Depending on the information provided in the GW alert together with the localization map sent by the LVC, DLT40 would respond promptly to image the corresponding galaxies selected by our ranking algorithm in order to search for possible EM counterparts in real time. During the LVC O2 run, DLT40 followed ten GW triggers, observing between $\sim$20-100 galaxies within the GW localization area of each event. From this campaign, we identified two real transient sources within the GW localizations with an appropriate on-source time -- one was an unrelated type Ia supernova (SN~2017cbv), and the other was the optical kilonova, AT 2017fgo/SSS17a/DLT17ck, associated with the binary neutron star coalescence GW170817 (a.k.a gamma-ray burst GRB170817A). We conclude with a discussion of the DLT40 survey's plans for the upcoming LVC O3 run, which include expanding our galaxy search fields out to $D\approx$65 Mpc to match the LVC's planned three-detector sensitivity for binary neutron star mergers.

38 pages, 8 figures and 14 tables, Submitted to ApJ

References in corpus (28)

• GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
• Advanced Virgo: a 2nd generation interferometric gravitational wave detector
• Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger
• GW170814: A Three-Detector Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Coalescence
• An Ordinary Short Gamma-Ray Burst with Extraordinary Implications: Fermi-GBM Detection of GRB 170817A
• Origin of the heavy elements in binary neutron-star mergers from a gravitational wave event
• Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the Optical Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source
• Spectroscopic identification of r-process nucleosynthesis in a double neutron star merger
• Robust parameter estimation for compact binaries with ground-based gravitational-wave observations using the LALInference software library
• INTEGRAL Detection of the First Prompt Gamma-Ray Signal Coincident with the Gravitational Wave Event GW170817
• The X-ray counterpart to the gravitational wave event GW 170817
• The Emergence of a Lanthanide-Rich Kilonova Following the Merger of Two Neutron Stars
• Optical emission from a kilonova following a gravitational-wave-detected neutron-star merger
• The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. I. Dark Energy Camera Discovery of the Optical Counterpart
• Swift and NuSTAR observations of GW170817: detection of a blue kilonova
• The Combined Ultraviolet, Optical, and Near-Infrared Light Curves of the Kilonova Associated with the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817: Unified Data Set, Analytic Models, and Physical Implications
• A Radio Counterpart to a Neutron Star Merger
• The discovery of the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817: kilonova AT 2017gfo/DLT17ck
• The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/VIRGO GW170817. V. Rising X-ray Emission from an Off-Axis Jet
• MASTER optical detection of the first LIGO/Virgo neutron stars merging GW170817
• A Deep Chandra X-ray Study of Neutron Star Coalescence GW170817
• Early Blue Excess from the Type Ia Supernova 2017cbv and Implications for Its Progenitor
• The Rising Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae
• Low-Latency Gravitational Wave Alerts for Multi-Messenger Astronomy During the Second Advanced LIGO and Virgo Observing Run
• Optical Follow-up of Gravitational-wave Events with Las Cumbres Observatory
• Machine learning for transient discovery in Pan-STARRS1 difference imaging
• A Bayesian approach to multi-messenger astronomy: Identification of gravitational-wave host galaxies
• An empirical limit on the kilonova rate from the DLT40 one day cadence Supernova Survey

Cited by in corpus (9)

• The Heraklion Extragalactic Catalogue (HECATE): a value-added galaxy catalogue for multi-messenger astrophysics
• SN 2022acko: the First Early Far-Ultraviolet Spectra of a Type IIP Supernova
• The DEHVILS Survey Overview and Initial Data Release: High-Quality Near-Infrared Type Ia Supernova Light Curves at Low Redshift
• GECKO Optical Follow-up Observation of Three Binary Black Hole Merger Events: GW190408_181802, GW190412, and GW190503_185404
• Web application for galaxy-targeted follow-up of electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave sources
• Skynet's New Observing Mode: The Campaign Manager
• 3D Localization of FRB 20190425A for Its Potential Host Galaxy and Implications
• Unveiling gravitational waves from core-collapse supernovae with MUSE
• Identifying Host Galaxies of Binary Black Hole Mergers with Next-Generation Gravitational Wave Detector Networks