TY - JOUR
T1 - Black hole - neutron star mergers
T2 - Using kilonovae to constrain the equation of state
AU - Mathias, L. W. P.
AU - Clemente, F Di
AU - Bulla, M
AU - Drago, A.
N1 - The simulations performed in this study will be made publicly available at https://github.com/mbulla/kilonova_models.
PY - 2024/2/29
Y1 - 2024/2/29
N2 - The merging of a binary system involving two neutron stars (NSs), or a black hole (BH) and a NS, often results in the emission of an electromagnetic (EM) transient. One component of this EM transient is the epic explosion known as a kilonova (KN). The characteristics of the KN emission can be used to probe the equation of state (EoS) of NS matter responsible for its formation. We predict KN light curves from computationally simulated BH-NS mergers, by using the 3D radiative transfer code POSSIS. We investigate two EoSs spanning most of the allowed range of the mass-radius diagram. We also consider a soft EoS compatible with the observational data within the so-called 2-families scenario in which hadronic stars coexist with strange stars. Computed results show that the 2-families scenario, characterized by a soft EoS, should not produce a KN unless the mass of the binary components are small (MBH ≤ 6M⊙, MNS ≤ 1.4M⊙) and the BH is rapidly spinning (χBH ≥ 0.3). In contrast, a strong KN signal potentially observable from future surveys (e.g. VRO/LSST) is produced in the 1-family scenario for a wider region of the parameter space, and even for non-rotating BHs (χBH = 0) when MBH = 4M⊙ and MNS = 1.2M⊙. We also provide a fit that allows for the calculation of the unbound mass from the observed KN magnitude, without running timely and costly radiative transfer simulations. Findings presented in this paper will be used to interpret light curves anticipated during the fourth observing run (O4), of the advanced LIGO, advanced Virgo and KAGRA interferometers and thus to constrain the EoS of NS matter.
AB - The merging of a binary system involving two neutron stars (NSs), or a black hole (BH) and a NS, often results in the emission of an electromagnetic (EM) transient. One component of this EM transient is the epic explosion known as a kilonova (KN). The characteristics of the KN emission can be used to probe the equation of state (EoS) of NS matter responsible for its formation. We predict KN light curves from computationally simulated BH-NS mergers, by using the 3D radiative transfer code POSSIS. We investigate two EoSs spanning most of the allowed range of the mass-radius diagram. We also consider a soft EoS compatible with the observational data within the so-called 2-families scenario in which hadronic stars coexist with strange stars. Computed results show that the 2-families scenario, characterized by a soft EoS, should not produce a KN unless the mass of the binary components are small (MBH ≤ 6M⊙, MNS ≤ 1.4M⊙) and the BH is rapidly spinning (χBH ≥ 0.3). In contrast, a strong KN signal potentially observable from future surveys (e.g. VRO/LSST) is produced in the 1-family scenario for a wider region of the parameter space, and even for non-rotating BHs (χBH = 0) when MBH = 4M⊙ and MNS = 1.2M⊙. We also provide a fit that allows for the calculation of the unbound mass from the observed KN magnitude, without running timely and costly radiative transfer simulations. Findings presented in this paper will be used to interpret light curves anticipated during the fourth observing run (O4), of the advanced LIGO, advanced Virgo and KAGRA interferometers and thus to constrain the EoS of NS matter.
U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stad3919
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stad3919
M3 - Article
SN - 0035-8711
VL - 527
SP - 11053
EP - 11065
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IS - 4
ER -