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A peculiar low-luminosity short gamma-ray burst from a double neutron star merger progenitor

Author

Listed:
  • B.-B. Zhang

    (Nanjing University
    Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)
    Nanjing University, Ministry of Education)

  • B. Zhang

    (University of Nevada
    Peking University
    Peking University)

  • H. Sun

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • W.-H. Lei

    (Huazhong University of Science and Technology)

  • H. Gao

    (Beijing Normal University)

  • Y. Li

    (Peking University)

  • L. Shao

    (Hebei Normal University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Y. Zhao

    (University of Florida)

  • Y.-D. Hu

    (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)
    Universidad de Granada)

  • H.-J. Lü

    (Guangxi University)

  • X.-F. Wu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    , University of Science and Technology of China)

  • X.-L. Fan

    (Hubei University of Education)

  • G. Wang

    (Gran Sasso Science Institute (INFN)
    INFN - Sezione di Pisa Edificio C)

  • A. J. Castro-Tirado

    (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)
    Universidad de Málaga)

  • S. Zhang

    (Hebei Normal University)

  • B.-Y. Yu

    (Hebei Normal University)

  • Y.-Y. Cao

    (Hebei Normal University)

  • E.-W. Liang

    (Guangxi University)

Abstract

Double neutron star (DNS) merger events are promising candidates of short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) progenitors as well as high-frequency gravitational wave (GW) emitters. On August 17, 2017, such a coinciding event was detected by both the LIGO-Virgo gravitational wave detector network as GW170817 and Gamma-Ray Monitor on board NASA’s Fermi Space Telescope as GRB 170817A. Here, we show that the fluence and spectral peak energy of this sGRB fall into the lower portion of the distributions of known sGRBs. Its peak isotropic luminosity is abnormally low. The estimated event rate density above this luminosity is at least $$190_{ - 160}^{ + 440}$$ 19 0 - 160 + 440 Gpc−3 yr−1, which is close to but still below the DNS merger event rate density. This event likely originates from a structured jet viewed from a large viewing angle. There are similar faint soft GRBs in the Fermi archival data, a small fraction of which might belong to this new population of nearby, low-luminosity sGRBs.

Suggested Citation

  • B.-B. Zhang & B. Zhang & H. Sun & W.-H. Lei & H. Gao & Y. Li & L. Shao & Y. Zhao & Y.-D. Hu & H.-J. Lü & X.-F. Wu & X.-L. Fan & G. Wang & A. J. Castro-Tirado & S. Zhang & B.-Y. Yu & Y.-Y. Cao & E.-W. , 2018. "A peculiar low-luminosity short gamma-ray burst from a double neutron star merger progenitor," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-6, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:9:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-018-02847-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-02847-3
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