Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow Modelling
For gravitational wave (GW) detected neutron star mergers, one of the leading candidates for electromagnetic (EM) counterparts is the afterglow from an ultra-relativistic jet. Where this afterglow is observed, it will likely be viewed off-axis, such as the afterglow following GW170817/GRB 170817A. T...
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doaj-98c4559a537840f69a530434479b5c032021-09-26T01:34:44ZengMDPI AGUniverse2218-19972021-09-01732932910.3390/universe7090329Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow ModellingGavin P. Lamb0Joseph J. Fernández1Fergus Hayes2Albert K. H. Kong3En-Tzu Lin4Nial R. Tanvir5Martin Hendry6Ik Siong Heng7Surojit Saha8John Veitch9School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UKAstrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 5RF, UKSUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UKInstitute of Astronomy, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, TaiwanInstitute of Astronomy, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, TaiwanSchool of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UKSUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UKSUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UKInstitute of Astronomy, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, TaiwanSUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UKFor gravitational wave (GW) detected neutron star mergers, one of the leading candidates for electromagnetic (EM) counterparts is the afterglow from an ultra-relativistic jet. Where this afterglow is observed, it will likely be viewed off-axis, such as the afterglow following GW170817/GRB 170817A. The temporal behaviour of an off-axis observed GRB afterglow can be used to reveal the lateral jet structure, and statistical model fits can put constraints on the various model free-parameters. Amongst these parameters is the inclination of the system to the line of sight. Along with the GW detection, the afterglow modelling provides the best constraint on the inclination to the line-of-sight and can improve the estimates of cosmological parameters, for example, the Hubble constant, from GW-EM events. However, modelling of the afterglow depends on the assumed jet structure and—often overlooked—the effects of lateral spreading. Here we show how the inclusion of lateral spreading in the afterglow models can affect the estimated inclination of GW-EM events.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1997/7/9/329GW-EM counterpartsGRB afterglowsGW170817/GRB 170817A |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Gavin P. Lamb Joseph J. Fernández Fergus Hayes Albert K. H. Kong En-Tzu Lin Nial R. Tanvir Martin Hendry Ik Siong Heng Surojit Saha John Veitch |
spellingShingle |
Gavin P. Lamb Joseph J. Fernández Fergus Hayes Albert K. H. Kong En-Tzu Lin Nial R. Tanvir Martin Hendry Ik Siong Heng Surojit Saha John Veitch Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow Modelling Universe GW-EM counterparts GRB afterglows GW170817/GRB 170817A |
author_facet |
Gavin P. Lamb Joseph J. Fernández Fergus Hayes Albert K. H. Kong En-Tzu Lin Nial R. Tanvir Martin Hendry Ik Siong Heng Surojit Saha John Veitch |
author_sort |
Gavin P. Lamb |
title |
Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow Modelling |
title_short |
Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow Modelling |
title_full |
Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow Modelling |
title_fullStr |
Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow Modelling |
title_full_unstemmed |
Inclination Estimates from Off-Axis GRB Afterglow Modelling |
title_sort |
inclination estimates from off-axis grb afterglow modelling |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Universe |
issn |
2218-1997 |
publishDate |
2021-09-01 |
description |
For gravitational wave (GW) detected neutron star mergers, one of the leading candidates for electromagnetic (EM) counterparts is the afterglow from an ultra-relativistic jet. Where this afterglow is observed, it will likely be viewed off-axis, such as the afterglow following GW170817/GRB 170817A. The temporal behaviour of an off-axis observed GRB afterglow can be used to reveal the lateral jet structure, and statistical model fits can put constraints on the various model free-parameters. Amongst these parameters is the inclination of the system to the line of sight. Along with the GW detection, the afterglow modelling provides the best constraint on the inclination to the line-of-sight and can improve the estimates of cosmological parameters, for example, the Hubble constant, from GW-EM events. However, modelling of the afterglow depends on the assumed jet structure and—often overlooked—the effects of lateral spreading. Here we show how the inclusion of lateral spreading in the afterglow models can affect the estimated inclination of GW-EM events. |
topic |
GW-EM counterparts GRB afterglows GW170817/GRB 170817A |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1997/7/9/329 |
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