scholarly journals Population Properties of Neutron Stars in the Coalescing Compact Binaries

2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (1) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Yin-Jie Li ◽  
Shao-Peng Tang ◽  
Yuan-Zhu Wang ◽  
Ming-Zhe Han ◽  
Qiang Yuan ◽  
...  

Abstract We perform a hierarchical Bayesian inference to investigate the population properties of the coalescing compact binaries involving at least one neutron star (NS). With the current gravitational-wave (GW) observation data, we can rule out none of the double Gaussian, single Gaussian, and uniform NS mass distribution models, though a specific double Gaussian model inferred from the Galactic NSs is found to be slightly more preferred. The mass distribution of black holes (BHs) in the neutron star–black hole (NSBH) population is found to be similar to that in the Galactic X-ray binaries. Additionally, the ratio of the merger rate densities between NSBHs and BNSs is estimated to be ∼3:7. The spin properties of the binaries, though constrained relatively poorly, play a nontrivial role in reconstructing the mass distribution of NSs and BHs. We find that a perfectly aligned spin distribution can be ruled out, while a purely isotropic distribution of spin orientation is still allowed. To evaluate the feasibility of reliably determining the population properties of NSs in the coalescing compact binaries with upcoming GW observations, we perform simulations with a mock population. We find that with 100 detections (including BNSs and NSBHs) the mass distribution of NSs can be well determined, and the fraction of BNSs can also be accurately estimated.

2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (4) ◽  
pp. 4991-5001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Fragione ◽  
Abraham Loeb

ABSTRACT Observations of black hole–neutron star (BH–NS) mergers via gravitational waves (GWs) are of great interest for their electromagnetic counterparts, such as short gamma-ray bursts, and could provide crucial information on the nature of BHs and the NS crust and magnetosphere. While no event has been confirmed, a recent possible detection of a BH–NS merger event by the LIGO–Virgo collaboration has attracted a lot of attention to these sources. In this second paper of the series, we follow-up our study of the dynamical evolution of triples composed of an inner BH–NS binary. In particular, we examine how the progenitor metallicity affects the characteristics of the BH–NS mergers in triples. We determine the distributions of masses, orbital parameters, and merger times, as a function of the progenitor metallicity and initial triple orbital distributions, and show that the typical eccentricity in the LIGO band is ∼10−2–10−1. We derive a merger rate range of ΓBH–NS = 1.9 × 10−4–22 Gpc−3 yr−1, consistent the LIGO–Virgo upper limit. Finally, we study the expected spin–orbit misalignments of merging BH–NS binaries from this channel, and find that typically the effective spin distribution is peaked at χeff ∼ 0 with significant tails.


2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (1) ◽  
pp. 523-531
Author(s):  
Shilpa Kastha ◽  
M Saleem ◽  
K G Arun

ABSTRACT Proposed third-generation gravitational wave interferometers such as Cosmic Explorer (CE) will have the sensitivity to observe double neutron star mergers (DNS) up to a redshift of ∼5 with good signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). We argue that the comoving spatial distribution of DNS mergers leaves a unique imprint on the statistical distribution of SNRs of the detected DNS mergers. Hence, the SNR distribution of DNS mergers will facilitate a novel probe of their redshift evolution independent of the luminosity distance measurements. We consider detections of DNS mergers by the CE and study the SNR distribution for different possible redshift evolution models of DNSs and employ Anderson Darling p-value statistic to demonstrate the distinguishability between these different models. We find that a few hundreds of DNS mergers in the CE era will allow us to distinguish between different models of redshift evolution. We further apply the method for various SNR distributions arising due to different merger delay-time and star formation rate (SFR) models and show that for a given SFR model, the SNR distributions are sensitive to the delay-time distributions. Finally, we investigate the effects of sub-threshold events in distinguishing between different merger rate distribution models.


Universe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Nils Andersson

We provide a bird’s-eye view of neutron-star seismology, which aims to probe the extreme physics associated with these objects, in the context of gravitational-wave astronomy. Focussing on the fundamental mode of oscillation, which is an efficient gravitational-wave emitter, we consider the seismology aspects of a number of astrophysically relevant scenarios, ranging from transients (like pulsar glitches and magnetar flares), to the dynamics of tides in inspiralling compact binaries and the eventual merged object and instabilities acting in isolated, rapidly rotating, neutron stars. The aim is not to provide a thorough review, but rather to introduce (some of) the key ideas and highlight issues that need further attention.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (04) ◽  
pp. 1750015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeunhwan Lim ◽  
Chang Ho Hyun ◽  
Chang-Hwan Lee

In this paper, we investigate the cooling of neutron stars with relativistic and nonrelativistic models of dense nuclear matter. We focus on the effects of uncertainties originated from the nuclear models, the composition of elements in the envelope region, and the formation of superfluidity in the core and the crust of neutron stars. Discovery of [Formula: see text] neutron stars PSR J1614−2230 and PSR J0343[Formula: see text]0432 has triggered the revival of stiff nuclear equation of state at high densities. In the meantime, observation of a neutron star in Cassiopeia A for more than 10 years has provided us with very accurate data for the thermal evolution of neutron stars. Both mass and temperature of neutron stars depend critically on the equation of state of nuclear matter, so we first search for nuclear models that satisfy the constraints from mass and temperature simultaneously within a reasonable range. With selected models, we explore the effects of element composition in the envelope region, and the existence of superfluidity in the core and the crust of neutron stars. Due to uncertainty in the composition of particles in the envelope region, we obtain a range of cooling curves that can cover substantial region of observation data.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S291) ◽  
pp. 146-146
Author(s):  
David Nice

AbstractNeutron star masses can be inferred from observations of binary pulsar systems, particularly by the measurement of relativistic phenomena within these orbits. The observed distribution of masses can be used to infer or constrain the equation of state for nuclear matter and to study astrophysical processes such as supernovae and binary star evolution. In this talk, I will review our present understanding of the neutron star mass distribution with an emphasis on the observational data.


2016 ◽  
Vol 716 ◽  
pp. 012021
Author(s):  
Chang-Hwan Lee ◽  
Young-Min Kim

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (S351) ◽  
pp. 174-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro A. Trani

AbstractHigh-density cusps of compact remnants are expected to form around supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in galactic nuclei via dynamical friction and two-body relaxation. Due to the high density, binaries in orbit around the SMBH can frequently undergo close encounters with compact remnants from the cusp. This can affect the gravitational wave merger rate of compact binaries in galactic nuclei. We investigated this process by means of high accuracy few-body simulations, performed with a novel Monte Carlo approach. We find that, around a SgrA*-like SMBH, three-body encounters increase the number of mergers by a factor of 3. This occurs because close encounters can reorient binaries with respect to their orbital plane around the SMBH, increasing the number of Kozai-Lidov induced mergers. We obtain a binary black hole merger rate of ГMW = 1.6 × 10−6 yr−1 per Milky Way-like nucleus.


2018 ◽  
Vol 857 (2) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Ping Jin ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Yuan-Zhu Wang ◽  
Hao-Ning He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A69 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Haskell ◽  
J. L. Zdunik ◽  
M. Fortin ◽  
M. Bejger ◽  
R. Wijnands ◽  
...  

Context. Rapidly rotating neutron stars are an ideal laboratory to test models of matter at high densities. In particular, the maximum rotation frequency of a neutron star depends on the equation of state and can be used to test models of the interior. However, observations of the spin distribution of rapidly rotating neutron stars show evidence for a lack of stars spinning at frequencies higher than f ≈ 700 Hz, well below the predictions of theoretical equations of state. This has generally been taken as evidence of an additional spin-down torque operating in these systems, and it has been suggested that gravitational wave torques may be operating and be linked to a potentially observable signal. Aims. We aim to determine whether additional spin-down torques (possibly due to gravitational wave emission) are necessary, or if the observed limit of f ≈ 700 Hz could correspond to the Keplerian (mass-shedding) break-up frequency for the observed systems, and is simply a consequence of the currently unknown state of matter at high densities. Methods. Given our ignorance with regard to the true equation of state of matter above nuclear saturation densities, we make a minimal physical assumption and only demand causality, that is, that the speed of sound in the interior of the neutron star should be lower than or equal to the speed of light c. We then connected our causally limited equation of state to a realistic microphysical crustal equation of state for densities below nuclear saturation density. This produced a limiting model that gave the lowest possible maximum frequency, which we compared to observational constraints on neutron star masses and frequencies. We also compared our findings with the constraints on the tidal deformability obtained in the observations of the GW170817 event. Results. We rule out centrifugal breakup as the mechanism preventing pulsars from spinning faster than f ≈ 700 Hz, as the lowest breakup frequency allowed by our causal equation of state is f ≈ 1200 Hz. A low-frequency cutoff, around f ≈ 800 Hz could only be possible when we assume that these systems do not contain neutron stars with masses above M ≈ 2 M⊙. This would have to be due either to selection effects, or possibly to a phase transition in the interior of the neutron star that leads to softening at high densities and a collapse to either a black hole or a hybrid star above M ≈ 2 M⊙. Such a scenario would, however, require a somewhat unrealistically stiff equation of state for hadronic matter, in tension with recent constraints obtained from gravitational wave observations of a neutron star merger.


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