Series: Astronomy Colloquium
Date: Wednesday 01-Mar-2023
Time: 16:05-17:00 (4:05-5:00 pm)
Location: Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Ariadna Murguia-Berthier (Northwestern University)
Title: The fate of the merger remnant in GW170817 and its imprint on the jet structure
On August 17, 2017, LIGO/Virgo detected the first gravitational waves from merging neutron stars. This event, known as GW170817 was accompanied by observations all over the electromagnetic spectrum. The peculiar gamma-ray burst that followed the merger in GW170817, is unlike any gamma-ray burst observed before. In order to explain the afterglow observations, there is a need for the jet launched after the merger to have structure, which is a natural consequence of the interaction of the jet with the ambient medium. In this talk, I will show special relativistic simulations of the interaction of the jet with several outflows launched during the merger and compare the simulations to the observation. I will then use the results in order to constrain key properties of the merger, such as the delay time between the merger and the collapse to a black hole.
In-person colloquia are usually preceded by espresso and ice cream at 1:45 pm outside room PSC 1150 and are followed by an informal reception at 5:15 pm in that room. Anyone interested in talking with the speaker, or being added to the colloquium announcement email list, should contact the colloquium organizer Dr. Leslie Sage. Lunch will normally be reserved for the speaker to talk to graduate students. Anyone asking a question during a talk is asked to raise their hand and be acknowledged before speaking. Contact Dr. Leslie Sage for details.
Colloquium Organizer:
Dr. Leslie Sage
Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities can be made by calling (301) 405-3001. It would be appreciated if we are notified at least one week in advance.
