The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/VIRGO GW170817. V. Rising X-ray Emission from an Off-Axis Jet

TL;DR

This paper reports the first detection of rising X-ray emission from the binary neutron star merger GW170817, interpreted as off-axis jet emission, providing insights into relativistic outflows and circumbinary environment.

Contribution

It presents the discovery of late-time X-ray brightening from GW170817 and models it as off-axis jet emission, offering new constraints on jet orientation and environment.

Findings

X-ray emission brightened over time, reaching ~9x10^39 erg/s at 15 days.

Data consistent with a relativistic jet viewed off-axis at 20-40 degrees.

Circumbinary density estimated between 0.0001 and 0.01 cm^-3.

Abstract

We report the discovery of rising X-ray emission from the binary neutron star (BNS) merger event GW170817. This is the first detection of X-ray emission from a gravitational-wave source. Observations acquired with the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) at t~2.3 days post merger reveal no significant emission, with L_x<=3.2x10^38 erg/s (isotropic-equivalent). Continued monitoring revealed the presence of an X-ray source that brightened with time, reaching L_x\sim 9x10^39 erg/s at ~15.1 days post merger. We interpret these findings in the context of isotropic and collimated relativistic outflows (both on- and off-axis). We find that the broad-band X-ray to radio observations are consistent with emission from a relativistic jet with kinetic energy E_k~10^49-10^50 erg, viewed off-axis with theta_obs~ 20-40 deg. Our models favor a circumbinary density n~ 0.0001-0.01 cm-3, depending on the value of the microphysical parameter epsilon_B=10^{-4}-10^{-2}. A central-engine origin of the X-ray emission is unlikely. Future X-ray observations at $t\gtrsim 100$ days, when the target will be observable again with the CXO, will provide additional constraints to solve the model degeneracies and test our predictions. Our inferences on theta_obs are testable with gravitational wave information on GW170817 from Advanced LIGO/Virgo on the binary inclination.