Tidal deformability of neutron stars with realistic equations of state and their gravitational wave signatures in binary inspiral

Tanja Hinderer, Benjamin D. Lackey, Ryan N. Lang, and Jocelyn S. Read
Phys. Rev. D 81, 123016 – Published 23 June 2010

Abstract

The early part of the gravitational wave signal of binary neutron-star inspirals can potentially yield robust information on the nuclear equation of state. The influence of a star’s internal structure on the waveform is characterized by a single parameter: the tidal deformability λ, which measures the star’s quadrupole deformation in response to the companion’s perturbing tidal field. We calculate λ for a wide range of equations of state and find that the value of λ spans an order of magnitude for the range of equation of state models considered. An analysis of the feasibility of discriminating between neutron-star equations of state with gravitational wave observations of the early part of the inspiral reveals that the measurement error in λ increases steeply with the total mass of the binary. Comparing the errors with the expected range of λ, we find that Advanced LIGO observations of binaries at a distance of 100 Mpc will probe only unusually stiff equations of state, while the proposed Einstein Telescope is likely to see a clean tidal signature.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 18 November 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.81.123016

©2010 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Tanja Hinderer1, Benjamin D. Lackey2, Ryan N. Lang3,4, and Jocelyn S. Read5

  • 1Theoretical Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 2Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
  • 3Department of Physics and MIT Kavli Institute, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
  • 4Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
  • 5Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik Albert-Einstein-Institut, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 81, Iss. 12 — 15 June 2010

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review D

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×