English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

The detection of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 and the associatedelectromagnetic (EM) counterpart, the "kilonova" (kN) AT2017gfo, opened a newera in multi-messenger astronomy. However, despite many efforts, it has beenproven very difficult to find additional EM counterparts to the many LIGO/Virgocompact binary merger candidates since then. We explore the sensitivity ofongoing optical surveys searching for kNe and propose ways to optimize thechoices of filters and survey depth to boost the detection efficiency for thesefaint and fast-evolving transients. In particular, we use kN models to explorethe dependence on ejecta mass, geometry, viewing angle, wavelength coverage andsource distance. Considering that the O3 LIGO/Virgo binary neutron star mergercandidates were at distances about 5 times further than GW170817, we find thatefficient $gri$ counterpart search would require reaching a limiting magnitude$m_{\rm lim}=$ 23 mag, given the model phase-space. We conclude that kNsearches during O3 were generally too shallow to observe optical counterparts,even under optimistic assumptions, thus providing a plausible explanation forthe lack of detections.

Detectability of kilonovae in optical surveys: $post$-$mortem$ examination of the LVC O3 run follow-up