Accurate flux calibration of GW170817: is the X-ray counterpart on the rise?
arXiv:2104.13378 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stab3533
Abstract
X-ray emission from the gravitational wave transient GW170817 is well described as non-thermal afterglow radiation produced by a structured relativistic jet viewed off-axis. We show that the X-ray counterpart continues to be detected at 3.3 years after the merger. Such long-lasting signal is not a prediction of the earlier jet models characterized by a narrow jet core and a viewing angle of about 20 deg, and is spurring a renewed interest in the origin of the X-ray emission. We present a comprehensive analysis of the X-ray dataset aimed at clarifying existing discrepancies in the literature, and in particular the presence of an X-ray rebrightening at late times. Our analysis does not find evidence for an increase in the X-ray flux, but confirms a growing tension between the observations and the jet model. Further observations at radio and X-ray wavelengths would be critical to break the degeneracy between models.
10 pages, 5 figures, submitted to MNRAS
References in corpus (20)
- GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
- Gravitational Waves and Gamma-rays from a Binary Neutron Star Merger: GW170817 and GRB 170817A
- The X-ray counterpart to the gravitational wave event GW 170817
- A Radio Counterpart to a Neutron Star Merger
- Fallback accretion in the aftermath of a compact binary merger
- The optical afterglow of GW170817 at one year post-merger
- Off-axis short GRBs from structured jets as counterparts to GW events
- Mass ejection from neutron star mergers: different components and expected radio signals
- Brightening X-ray Emission from GW170817/GRB170817A: Further Evidence for an Outflow
- A thousand days after the merger: continued X-ray emission from GW170817
- Afterglow Lightcurves from Misaligned Structured Jets
- Continued radio observations of GW170817 3.5 years post-merger
- Afterglow constraints on the viewing angle of binary neutron star mergers and determination of the Hubble constant
- On the opening angle of magnetised jets from neutron-star mergers: the case of GRB170817A
- Delayed X-ray emission from fallback in compact-object mergers
- Searching for the radio remnants of short duration gamma-ray bursts
- Shock within a shock: revisiting the radio flares of NS merger ejecta and GRB-supernovae
- Diverse Jet Structures Consistent with the Off-axis Afterglow of GRB 170817A
- Black hole-neutron star coalescence: effects of the neutron star spin on jet launching and dynamical ejecta mass
- The Panchromatic Afterglow of GW170817: The full uniform dataset, modeling, comparison with previous results and implications