A luminosity distribution for kilonovae based on short gamma-ray burst afterglows. (arXiv:1811.05506v1 [astro-ph.HE])

A luminosity distribution for kilonovae based on short gamma-ray burst afterglows. (arXiv:1811.05506v1 [astro-ph.HE])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ascenzi_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Stefano Ascenzi</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Coughlin_M/0/1/0/all/0/1">Michael W. Coughlin</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Dietrich_T/0/1/0/all/0/1">Tim Dietrich</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Foley_R/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ryan J. Foley</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Ramirez_Ruiz_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Piranomonte_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Silvia Piranomonte</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Mockler_B/0/1/0/all/0/1">Brenna Mockler</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Murguia_Berthier_A/0/1/0/all/0/1">Ariadna Murguia-Berthier</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Fryer_C/0/1/0/all/0/1">Chris L. Fryer</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Lloyd_Ronning_N/0/1/0/all/0/1">Nicole M. Lloyd-Ronning</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Rosswog_S/0/1/0/all/0/1">Stephan Rosswog</a>

The combined detection of a gravitational-wave signal, kilonova, and short
gamma-ray burst (sGRB) from GW170817 marked a scientific breakthrough in the
field of multi-messenger astronomy. But even before GW170817, there have been a
number of sGRBs with possible associated kilonova detections. In this work, we
re-examine these “historical” sGRB afterglows with a combination of
state-of-the-art afterglow and kilonova models. This allows us to include
optical/near-infrared synchrotron emission produced by the sGRB as well as
ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared emission powered by the radioactive decay of
$r$-process elements (i.e., the kilonova). Fitting the lightcurves, we derive
the velocity and the mass distribution as well as the composition of the
ejected material. The posteriors on kilonova parameters obtained from the fit
were turned into distributions for the peak magnitude of the kilonova emission
in different bands and the time at which this peak occurs. From the sGRB with
an associated kilonova, we found that the peak magnitude in H bands falls in
the range [-16.2, -13.1] ($95%$ of confidence) and occurs within $0.8-3.6,rm
days$ after the sGRB prompt emission. In g band instead we obtain a peak
magnitude in range [-16.8, -12.3] occurring within the first $18,rm hr$ after
the sGRB prompt. From the luminosity distributions of GW170817/AT2017gfo,
kilonova candidates GRB130603B, GRB050709 and GRB060614 (with the possible
inclusion of GRB150101B) and the upper limits from all the other sGRBs not
associated with any kilonova detection we obtain for the first time a kilonova
luminosity function in different bands.

The combined detection of a gravitational-wave signal, kilonova, and short
gamma-ray burst (sGRB) from GW170817 marked a scientific breakthrough in the
field of multi-messenger astronomy. But even before GW170817, there have been a
number of sGRBs with possible associated kilonova detections. In this work, we
re-examine these “historical” sGRB afterglows with a combination of
state-of-the-art afterglow and kilonova models. This allows us to include
optical/near-infrared synchrotron emission produced by the sGRB as well as
ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared emission powered by the radioactive decay of
$r$-process elements (i.e., the kilonova). Fitting the lightcurves, we derive
the velocity and the mass distribution as well as the composition of the
ejected material. The posteriors on kilonova parameters obtained from the fit
were turned into distributions for the peak magnitude of the kilonova emission
in different bands and the time at which this peak occurs. From the sGRB with
an associated kilonova, we found that the peak magnitude in H bands falls in
the range [-16.2, -13.1] ($95%$ of confidence) and occurs within $0.8-3.6,rm
days$ after the sGRB prompt emission. In g band instead we obtain a peak
magnitude in range [-16.8, -12.3] occurring within the first $18,rm hr$ after
the sGRB prompt. From the luminosity distributions of GW170817/AT2017gfo,
kilonova candidates GRB130603B, GRB050709 and GRB060614 (with the possible
inclusion of GRB150101B) and the upper limits from all the other sGRBs not
associated with any kilonova detection we obtain for the first time a kilonova
luminosity function in different bands.

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