Résumé / Abstract Seminaire_IAP
« Seeing and hearing the violent universe: the astrophysics of the binary neutron star merger, GW170817 »

Samaya Nissanke
Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics, and Particle Physics, Radbout University (Nimègues, Pays-Bas)

On August 17th 2017, the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors discovered the first binary neutron star merger GW170817. The FERMI gamma-ray monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst within 2 seconds with respect to the merger. Instigated by the event’s gravitational wave localization volume, telescopes across all wavebands in the electromagnetic spectrum observed the ensuing event’s post-merger emission.
In this talk, I will first describe the multi-messenger observations of this binary neutron star and then discuss how to place compact object mergers in their full astrophysical context with joint gravitational-wave and EM observations. I will highlight the challenges we face in explaining the rich physics driving the merger in high velocity, strongly-curved spacetime in Universe.
I will conclude with the unprecedented opportunities that are opening up in strong-field dynamic gravity astrophysics thanks to multi-messenger astrophysics during the coming decades.
vendredi 17 novembre 2017 - 11:00
Amphithéâtre Henri Mineur, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
Page web du séminaire / Seminar's webpage