Thermal Effects in Binary Neutron Star Mergers
Jacob Fields, Aviral Prakash, M. Breschi, David Radice, Sebastiano Bernuzzi, A. Schneider
Abstract
Abstract We study the impact of finite-temperature effects in numerical-relativity simulations of binary neutron star mergers with microphysical equations of state and neutrino transport in which we vary the effective nucleon masses in a controlled way. We find that, as the specific heat is increased, the merger remnants become colder and more compact due to the reduced thermal pressure support. Using a full Bayesian analysis, we demonstrate that this effect will be measurable in the postmerger gravitational wave signal with next-generation observatories at signal-to-noise ratios of 15.
Topics & Concepts
Neutron starPhysicsGravitational waveBinary numberEquation of stateThermalAstrophysicsSIGNAL (programming language)Computational physicsNeutrinoGeneral relativityNuclear physicsClassical mechanicsComputer scienceMeteorologyThermodynamicsArithmeticProgramming languageMathematicsPulsars and Gravitational Waves ResearchGamma-ray bursts and supernovaeCosmology and Gravitation Theories