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We present ground-based optical and Hubble Space Telescope optical andnear-IR observations of the short-hard GRB130603B at z=0.356, which demonstratethe presence of excess near-IR emission matching the expected brightness andcolor of an r-process powered transient (a "kilonova"). The early afterglowfades rapidly with alpha<-2.6 at t~8-32 hr post-burst and has a spectral indexof beta=-1.5 (F_nu t^alpha*nu^beta), leading to an expected near-IR brightnessat the time of the first HST observation of m(F160W)>29.3 AB mag. Instead, thedetected source has m(F160W)=25.8+/-0.2 AB mag, corresponding to a rest-frameabsolute magnitude of M(J)=-15.2 mag. The upper limit in the HST opticalobservations is m(F606W)>27.7 AB mag (3-sigma), indicating an unusually redcolor of V-H>1.9 mag. Comparing the observed near-IR luminosity to theoreticalmodels of kilonovae produced by ejecta from the merger of an NS-NS or NS-BHbinary, we infer an ejecta mass of M_ej~0.03-0.08 Msun for v_ej=0.1-0.3c. Theinferred mass matches the expectations from numerical merger simulations. Thepresence of a kilonova provides the strongest evidence to date that short GRBsare produced by compact object mergers, and provides initial insight on theejected mass and the primary role that compact object merger may play in ther-process. Equally important, it demonstrates that gravitational wave sourcesdetected by Advanced LIGO/Virgo will be accompanied by optical/near-IRcounterparts with unusually red colors, detectable by existing and upcominglarge wide-field facilities (e.g., Pan-STARRS, DECam, Subaru, LSST).

An r-Process Kilonova Associated with the Short-Hard GRB 130603B