Speaker
Description
We use observations of the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics
Laboratory (INTEGRAL) to search for gamma-ray and hard X-ray emission
associated with the gravitational wave events discovered during the
first and the second scientific runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced
Virgo. The highly eccentric orbit of INTEGRAL ensures high duty
cycle, long-term stable background, and unobstructed view of nearly
the entire sky. This enables us to use a combination of INTEGRAL
instruments (SPI-ACS, IBIS/Veto, and IBIS) to search for a hard X-ray
electromagnetic signal in the full high-probability sky region for
almost every single LIGO trigger.
The fraction of the energy promptly released in gamma-rays in 75 keV
- 2 MeV energy range in the direction of the observer is constrained
to be less than one millionth of the gravitational wave energy, in
the majority of the localization region. Moreover, in the case of
LVT151012 INTEGRAL high-energy imaging instruments, IBIS, SPI, and
JEM-X, provided the unique opportunity to search also for
long-lasting electromagnetic counterparts of this event over 3
decades in energy, from 5 keV to 8 MeV.
