Inferring prompt black-hole formation in neutron star mergers from gravitational-wave data

Michalis Agathos, Francesco Zappa, Sebastiano Bernuzzi, Albino Perego, Matteo Breschi, and David Radice
Phys. Rev. D 101, 044006 – Published 5 February 2020

Abstract

The gravitational wave GW170817 is associated with the inspiral phase of a binary neutron star coalescence event. The LIGO-Virgo detectors’ sensitivity at high frequencies was not sufficient to detect the signal corresponding to the merger and postmerger phases. Hence, the question whether the merger outcome was a prompt black-hole formation or not must be answered using either the premerger gravitational-wave signal or electromagnetic counterparts. In this work we present two methods to infer the probability of prompt black-hole formation, using the analysis of the inspiral gravitational-wave signal. Both methods combine the posterior distribution from the gravitational-wave data analysis with numerical-relativity results. One method relies on the use of phenomenological models for the equation of state and on the estimate of the collapse threshold mass. The other is based on the estimate of the tidal polarizability parameter Λ˜ that is correlated in an equation-of-state agnostic way with the prompt black-hole formation. We analyze GW170817 data and find that the two methods consistently predict a probability of 50%70% for prompt black-hole formation, which however may significantly decrease below 10% if the maximum mass constraint from PSR J0348+0432 or PSR J0740+6620 is imposed.

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  • Received 2 September 2019
  • Accepted 26 November 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.101.044006

© 2020 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Authors & Affiliations

Michalis Agathos1,2,3,*, Francesco Zappa1, Sebastiano Bernuzzi1, Albino Perego4,5, Matteo Breschi1, and David Radice6,7,8,9

  • 1Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
  • 2DAMTP, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road CB3 0WA, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  • 3Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road CB3 0HA, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  • 4Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Trento, Via Sommarive 14, 38123 Trento, Italy
  • 5Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 20100, Milano, Italy
  • 6Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
  • 7Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
  • 8Institute for Advanced Study, 1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
  • 9Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA

  • *magathos@damtp.cam.ac.uk

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Issue

Vol. 101, Iss. 4 — 15 February 2020

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