Implications for the origin of GRB 051103 from LIGO observations

Abadie, J. and Lockerbie, N. A. and Tokmakov, K. V., LIGO Scientific Collaboration (2012) Implications for the origin of GRB 051103 from LIGO observations. Astrophysical Journal, 755 (1). 755. ISSN 1538-4357 (https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637x/755/1/2)

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Abstract

We present the results of a LIGO search for gravitational waves (GWs) associated with GRB 051103, a short-duration hard-spectrum gamma-ray burst (GRB) whose electromagnetically determined sky position is coincident with the spiral galaxy M81, which is 3.6 Mpc from Earth. Possible progenitors for short-hard GRBs include compact object mergers and soft gamma repeater (SGR) giant flares. A merger progenitor would produce a characteristic GW signal that should be detectable at a distance of M81, while GW emission from an SGR is not expected to be detectable at that distance. We found no evidence of a GW signal associated with GRB 051103. Assuming weakly beamed gamma-ray emission with a jet semi-angle of 30 degrees, we exclude a binary neutron star merger in M81 as the progenitor with a confidence of 98%. Neutron star-black hole mergers are excluded with >99% confidence. If the event occurred in M81, then our findings support the hypothesis that GRB 051103 was due to an SGR giant flare, making it one of the most distant extragalactic magnetars observed to date.

ORCID iDs

Abadie, J., Lockerbie, N. A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1678-3260 and Tokmakov, K. V. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2808-6593;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:50737
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    10 August 2012
    Published
    Notes:J. Abadie et al 2012 ApJ 755 2. © 2012. The American Astronomical Society
    Subjects:Science > Astronomy
    Science > Physics
    Department:Faculty of Science > Physics
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:10 Dec 2014 10:51
    Last modified:11 Nov 2024 10:53
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/50737
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