LOFAR 144-MHz follow-up observations of GW170817
Journal article, 2020
We present low-radio-frequency follow-up observations of AT 2017gfo, the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817, which was the first binary neutron star merger to be detected by Advanced LIGO-Virgo. These data, with a central frequency of 144 MHz, were obtained with LOFAR, the Low-Frequency Array. The maximum elevation of the target is just 13 degrees.7 when observed with LOFAR, making our observations particularly challenging to calibrate and significantly limiting the achievable sensitivity. On time-scales of 130-138 and 371-374 d after the merger event, we obtain 3s upper limits for the afterglow component of 6.6 and 19.5mJy beam(-1), respectively. Using our best upper limit and previously published, contemporaneous higher frequency radio data, we place a limit on any potential steepening of the radio spectrum between 610 and 144 MHz: the two-point spectral index alpha(610)(144) greater than or similar to -2.5. We also show that LOFAR can detect the afterglows of future binary neutron star merger events occurring at more favourable elevations.
stars: neutron
radio continuum: stars
gravitational waves
Author
J. W. Broderick
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Curtin University
T. W. Shimwell
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Leiden University
K. Gourdji
University of Amsterdam
A. Rowlinson
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
University of Amsterdam
S. Nissanke
University of Amsterdam
National Institute for Subatomic Physics (NIKHEF)
K. Hotokezaka
Princeton University
University of Tokyo
P. G. Jonker
Radboud University
Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON)
C. Tasse
Université Paris PSL
Rhodes University
M. J. Hardcastle
University of Hertfordshire
J. B. R. Oonk
University of Hertfordshire
Surfsara Bv
R. P. Fender
University of Oxford
R. A. M. J. Wijers
University of Amsterdam
A. Shulevski
University of Amsterdam
A. J. Stewart
The University of Sydney
S. ter Veen
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
V. A. Moss
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
The University of Sydney
M. H. D. van der Wiel
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
D. A. Nichols
University of Amsterdam
University of Virginia
A. Piette
University of Cambridge
M. E. Bell
University of Technology Sydney
D. Carbone
University of The Virgin Islands
S. Corbel
Paris Diderot University
University of Orléans
J. Eisloeffel
Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg
J-M Griessmeier
University of Orléans
E. F. Keane
Jodrell Bank Observatory
C. J. Law
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
T. Munoz-Darias
University of La Laguna
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
M. Pietka
University of Oxford
M. Serylak
South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO)
University of the Western Cape
A. J. van der Horst
George Washington University
J. van Leeuwen
University of Amsterdam
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
R. Wijnands
University of Amsterdam
P. Zarka
Paris Observatory
LESIA - Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique
J. M. Anderson
German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ)
Technische Universität Berlin
M. J. Bentum
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Eindhoven University of Technology
R. Blaauw
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
W. N. Brouw
University of Groningen
M. Brueggen
University of Hamburg
B. Ciardi
Max Planck Society
M. de Vos
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
S. Duscha
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
R. A. Fallows
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
T. M. O. Franzen
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
M. A. Garrett
Leiden University
University of Manchester
A. W. Gunst
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
M. Hoeft
Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg
J. R. Hoerandel
National Institute for Subatomic Physics (NIKHEF)
Radboud University
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
M. Iacobelli
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
E. Juette
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
L. V. E. Koopmans
University of Groningen
A. Krankowski
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
P. Maat
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
G. Mann
Leibniz Association
H. Mulder
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
A. Nelles
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)
H. Paas
University of Groningen
M. Pandey-Pommier
Université de Lyon
University of Orléans
R. Pekal
Poznan Supercomp & Networking Ctr PCSS
W. Reich
Max Planck Society
H. J. A. Roettgering
Leiden University
D. J. Schwarz
Bielefeld University
O. Smirnov
Rhodes University
South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO)
M. Soida
Jagiellonian University in Kraków
Maria Carmen Toribio Perez
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory
M. P. van Haarlem
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
R. J. van Weeren
Leiden University
C. Vocks
Leibniz Association
O. Wucknitz
Max Planck Society
P. Zucca
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
0035-8711 (ISSN) 1365-2966 (eISSN)
Vol. 494 4 5110-5117Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1093/mnras/staa950