Searches and Parameter Estimation for Kilonova Light Curves

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Abstract:: With the advent of the follow-up of large localization regions from gravitational-wave detectors and gamma-ray burst transients with wide field-of-view telescopes, efficient follow-up of the many identified candidates is required. Due to limited telescope time, it is important to create prioritized lists based on the many candidates identified. Towards this end, we use models derived from GW170817 to differentiate between kilonovae, gamma-ray burst afterglows, and supernova transients. We show how to use these models to limit the lists of transients required to follow-up. We explore the dependence of the transients excluded based on the number of days of photometry and spectra available and the passbands monitored. We also investigate the effect of this reduced follow-up on estimations of the properties of the transients. We show that at least four nights of photometry are required to benefit significantly from this approach. We implement a whitening technique for the spectra model in order to increase the quality of the fit and decrease the number of days needed to identify the transients.

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LIGO Document T1800287-v2