GW170817: A neutron star merger observed in gravitational and electromagnetic waves.

On August 17, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo detector observed the tipples in space from a neutron star merger.  Two seconds later, NASA's Fermi Gamma Ray Burst Monitor detected a flash of gamma rays from the collision.  LIGO and Virgo localized the source to a 30 square degree patch of the sky in the constellation Hydra and, twelve hours later, an optical counterpart was detected.  I will discuss the detection of the neutron star merger, the associated kilonova, and the implications that this multi-messenger observation has for our understanding of nuclear physics and astrophysics.  I will also discuss the science that the broader community can pursue with the open data released by Ligo.

Speaker: Duncan Brown, Syracuse Univ.