Program: GS-2017B-Q-30

Title:Unveiling the elusive progenitors of short duration gamma-ray bursts (South)
PI:Eleonora Troja
Co-I(s): Stefano Covino, Nathaniel Butler, Takanori Sakamoto, Nobuyuki Kawai, Amy Lien, Alan Watson, William Lee, Josefa Becerra, Paolo D'Avanzo

Abstract

The afterglow of some short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) displays a late-time rebrightening, visible a few days after the burst. Recent HST observations provided tantalizing evidence that such late-time bump could be explained as the emergence of the underlying kilonova emission. This would represent the incontrovertible signature of a neutron star merger, and the first direct link between short GRBs and their progenitors. It would also confirm that neutron star mergers are significant and possibly dominant sources of the heaviest elements (e.g. gold, platinum, uranium) in the Universe. Although the red color and faint nature of the kilonova require the sensitivity of HST, early-time Gemini observations are critical in order to precisely localize the burst, characterize its temporal evolution, determine its host galaxy morphology and distance scale. Here we propose to complement our approved HST program to search for kilonovae with rapid Gemini Target of Opportunity observations. The proposed observations will provide the smoking gun evidence connecting short GRBs and neutron star mergers, and will serve as a powerful observational input in the new era of gravitational wave astronomy.

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