An Ordinary Short Gamma-Ray Burst with Extraordinary Implications: Fermi-GBM Detection of GRB 170817A
/ Authors
A. Goldstein, P. Veres, E. Burns, M. Briggs, R. Hamburg, D. Kocevski, C. Wilson-Hodge, R. Preece, S. Poolakkil, O. Roberts
and 22 more authors
C. Hui, V. Connaughton, J. Racusin, A. Kienlin, T. D. Canton, N. Christensen, N. Christensen, T. Littenberg, K. Siellez, L. Blackburn, J. Broida, E. Bissaldi, E. Bissaldi, W. Cleveland, M. Gibby, M. Giles, R. Kippen, S. McBreen, J. Mcenery, C. Meegan, W. Paciesas, M. Stanbro
/ Abstract
On 2017 August 17 at 12:41:06 UTC the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) detected and triggered on the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) 170817A. Approximately 1.7 s prior to this GRB, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory triggered on a binary compact merger candidate associated with the GRB. This is the first unambiguous coincident observation of gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation from a single astrophysical source and marks the start of gravitational-wave multi-messenger astronomy. We report the GBM observations and analysis of this ordinary short GRB, which extraordinarily confirms that at least some short GRBs are produced by binary compact mergers.
Journal: The Astrophysical Journal Letters