Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-20-2017

Abstract

We present the results of prompt optical follow-up of the electromagnetic counterpart of the gravitational-wave event GW170817 by the Transient Optical Robotic Observatory of the South Collaboration. We detected highly significant dimming in the light curves of the counterpart (Δg = 0.17 ± 0.03 mag, Δr = 0.14 ± 0.02 mag, Δi = 0.10 ± 0.03 mag) over the course of only 80 minutes of observations obtained ∼35 hr after the trigger with the T80-South telescope. A second epoch of observations, obtained ∼59 hr after the event with the EABA 1.5 m telescope, confirms the fast fading nature of the transient. The observed colors of the counterpart suggest that this event was a \"blue kilonova\" relatively free of lanthanides.

Comments

© Astrophysical Journal Letters. Original version available at: http://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aa9060

Publication Title

Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI

10.3847/2041-8213/aa9060

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