Refine
Language
- English (19)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (19)
Keywords
- numerical relativity (2)
- African elephants (1)
- DNA (1)
- Palaeoloxodon-antiquus (1)
- Pleistocene (1)
- alignment (1)
- ancient (1)
- binary neutron stars (1)
- cosmology: cosmic background radiation (1)
- cosmology: cosmological parameters (1)
- cosmology: distance scale (1)
- dark matter (1)
- equation of state; (1)
- genome sequence (1)
- gravitational waves (1)
- gravitational-wave astronomy (1)
- leakage scheme (1)
- multi-messenger astrophysics (1)
- neutrinos (1)
- neutron stars (1)
- phylogenetic analysis (1)
- reveal (1)
- stars: binaries (1)
- stars: neutron (1)
- woolly mammoth (1)
Numerical studies of the dynamics of gravitational systems, e.g., black hole-neutron star systems, require physical and constraint-satisfying initial data. In this article, we present the newly developed pseudospectral code ELLIPTICA, an infrastructure for construction of initial data for various binary and single gravitational systems of all kinds. The elliptic equations under consideration are solved on a single spatial hypersurface of the spacetime manifold. Using coordinate maps, the hypersurface is covered by patches whose boundaries can adapt to the surface of the compact objects. To solve elliptic equations with arbitrary boundary condition, ELLIPTICA deploys a Schur complement domain decomposition method with a direct solver. In this version, we use cubed sphere coordinate maps and the fields are expanded using Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind. Here, we explain the building blocks of ELLIPTICA and the initial data construction algorithm for a black hole-neutron star binary system. We perform convergence tests and evolve the data to validate our results. Within our framework, the neutron star can reach spin values close to breakup with arbitrary direction, while the black hole can have arbitrary spin with dimensionless spin magnitude ∼0.8.
Numerical-relativity simulations are essential for studying the last stages of the binary neutron star coalescence. Unfortunately, for stable simulations there is the need to add an artificial low-density atmosphere. Here we discuss a new framework in which we can effectively set the density surrounding the neutron stars to zero to ensure a more accurate simulation. We test our method with a number of single star test cases and for an equal-mass binary neutron star simulation. While the bulk motion of the system is not influenced, and hence there is no improvement with respect to the emitted gravitational-wave signal, we find that the new approach is superior with respect to mass conservation and it allows a much better tracking of outward moving material. This will allow a more accurate simulation of the ejected material and supports the interpretation of present and future multimessenger observations with more accurate numerical-relativity simulations.
Quasiuniversal relations between the tidal deformability and the quadrupole moment of neutron stars are predicted by theoretical computations, but have not been measured experimentally. We simulate 120 binary neutron star sources and find that Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo at design sensitivity could find possible deviations from predicted relations if the neutron stars are highly spinning. A network of envisaged third generation detectors will even allow extracting such relations, providing new tests of general relativity and nuclear physics predictions.
With an increasing number of expected gravitational-wave detections of binary neutron star mergers, it is essential that gravitational-wave models employed for the analysis of observational data are able to describe generic compact binary systems. This includes systems in which the individual neutron stars are millisecond pulsars for which spin effects become essential. In this work, we perform numerical-relativity simulations of binary neutron stars with aligned and antialigned spins within a range of dimensionless spins of chi similar to [-0.28, 0.58]. The simulations are performed with multiple resolutions, show a clear convergence order and, consequently, can be used to test existing waveform approximants. We find that for very high spins gravitational-wave models that have been employed for the interpretation of GW170817 and GW190425 arc not capable of describing our numerical-relativity dataset. We verify through a full parameter estimation study in which clear biases in the estimate of the tidal deformability and effective spin are present. We hope that in preparation of the next gravitational-wave observing run of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors our new set of numerical-relativity data can be used to support future developments of new gravitational-wave models.
Data-driven expectations for electromagnetic counterpart searches based on LIGO/Virgo public alerts
(2022)
Searches for electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational-wave signals have redoubled since the first detection in 2017 of a binary neutron star merger with a gamma-ray burst, optical/infrared kilonova, and panchromatic afterglow. Yet, one LIGO/Virgo observing run later, there has not yet been a second, secure identification of an electromagnetic counterpart. This is not surprising given that the localization uncertainties of events in LIGO and Virgo's third observing run, O3, were much larger than predicted.
We explain this by showing that improvements in data analysis that now allow LIGO/Virgo to detect weaker and hence more poorly localized events have increased the overall number of detections, of which well-localized, gold-plated events make up a smaller proportion overall.
We present simulations of the next two LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA observing runs, O4 and O5, that are grounded in the statistics of O3 public alerts. To illustrate the significant impact that the updated predictions can have, we study the follow-up strategy for the Zwicky Transient Facility. Realistic and timely forecasting of gravitational-wave localization accuracy is paramount given the large commitments of telescope time and the need to prioritize which events are followed up.
We include a data release of our simulated localizations as a public proposal planning resource for astronomers.
Interpreting high-energy, astrophysical phenomena, such as supernova explosions or neutron-star collisions, requires a robust understanding of matter at supranuclear densities. However, our knowledge about dense matter explored in the cores of neutron stars remains limited. Fortunately, dense matter is not probed only in astrophysical observations, but also in terrestrial heavy-ion collision experiments. Here we use Bayesian inference to combine data from astrophysical multi-messenger observations of neutron stars(1-9) and from heavy-ion collisions of gold nuclei at relativistic energies(10,11) with microscopic nuclear theory calculations(12-17) to improve our understanding of dense matter. We find that the inclusion of heavy-ion collision data indicates an increase in the pressure in dense matter relative to previous analyses, shifting neutron-star radii towards larger values, consistent with recent observations by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer mission(5-8,18). Our findings show that constraints from heavy-ion collision experiments show a remarkable consistency with multi-messenger observations and provide complementary information on nuclear matter at intermediate densities. This work combines nuclear theory, nuclear experiment and astrophysical observations, and shows how joint analyses can shed light on the properties of neutron-rich supranuclear matter over the density range probed in neutron stars.
At supranuclear densities, explored in the core of neutron stars, a strong phase transition from hadronic matter to more exotic forms of matter might be present. To test this hypothesis, binary neutron-star mergers offer a unique possibility to probe matter at densities that we cannot create in any existing terrestrial experiment. In this work, we show that, if present, strong phase transitions can have a measurable imprint on the binary neutron-star coalescence and the emitted gravitational-wave signal. We construct a new parametrization of the supranuclear equation of state that allows us to test for the existence of a strong phase transition and extract its characteristic properties purely from the gravitational-wave signal of the inspiraling neutron stars. We test our approach using a Bayesian inference study simulating 600 signals with three different equations of state and find that for current gravitational-wave detector networks already 12 events might be sufficient to verify the presence of a strong phase transition. Finally, we use our methodology to analyze GW170817 and GW190425 but do not find any indication that a strong phase transition is present at densities probed during the inspiral.
With the increasing sensitivity of gravitational-wave detectors, we expect to observe multiple binary neutron-star systems through gravitational waves in the near future. The combined analysis of these gravitational-wave signals offers the possibility to constrain the neutron-star radius and the equation of state of dense nuclear matter with unprecedented accuracy. However, it is crucial to ensure that uncertainties inherent in the gravitational-wave models will not lead to systematic biases when information from multiple detections is combined. To quantify waveform systematics, we perform an extensive simulation campaign of binary neutron-star sources and analyze them with a set of four different waveform models. For our analysis with 38 simulations, we find that statistical uncertainties in the neutron-star radius decrease to 1250 m (2% at 90% credible interval) but that systematic differences between currently employed waveform models can be twice as large. Hence, it will be essential to ensure that systematic biases will not become dominant in inferences of the neutron-star equation of state when capitalizing on future developments.
The simultaneous detection of gravitational waves and light from the binary neutron star merger GW170817 led to independent measurements of distance and redshift, providing a direct estimate of the Hubble constant H-0 that does not rely on a cosmic distance ladder, nor assumes a specific cosmological model.
By using gravitational waves as "standard sirens", this approach holds promise to arbitrate the existing tension between the H-0 value inferred from the cosmic microwave background and those obtained from local measurements.
However, the known degeneracy in the gravitational-wave analysis between distance and inclination of the source led to a H-0 value from GW170817 that was not precise enough to resolve the existing tension.
In this review, we summarize recent works exploiting the viewing-angle dependence of the electromagnetic signal, namely the associated short gamma-ray burst and kilonova, to constrain the system inclination and improve on H-0.
We outline the key ingredients of the different methods, summarize the results obtained in the aftermath of GW170817 and discuss the possible systematics introduced by each of these methods.