Evidence for X-ray Emission in Excess to the Jet Afterglow Decay 3.5 yrs After the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW 170817: A New Emission Component

Abstract

For the first $\sim 3$ 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 $<0.01\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$. We report on observational evidence for an excess of X-ray emission at $\delta t>900$ days after the merger. With $L_x\approx 5\times 10^{38}\mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ at 1234 days, the recently detected X-ray emission represents a $\ge 3.2\sigma$ (Gaussian equivalent) deviation from the universal post jet-break model that best fits the multi-wavelength afterglow at earlier times. In the context of JetFit afterglow models, current data represent a departure with statistical significance $\ge 3.1\sigma$, depending on the fireball collimation, with the most realistic models showing excesses at the level of $\ge 3.7\sigma$. A lack of detectable 3 GHz radio emission suggests a harder broad-band spectrum than the jet afterglow. These properties are consistent with the emergence of a new emission component such as synchrotron radiation from a mildly relativistic shock generated by the expanding merger ejecta, i.e. a kilonova afterglow. In this context, we present a set of ab-initio numerical-relativity BNS merger simulations that show that an X-ray excess supports the presence of a high-velocity tail in the merger ejecta, and argues against the prompt collapse of the merger remnant into a black hole. Radiation from accretion processes on the compact-object remnant represents a viable alternative. Neither a kilonova afterglow nor accretion-powered emission have been observed before, as detections of BNS mergers at this phase of evolution are unprecedented.

30 pages, 13 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJL

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