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arXiv · 1603.01950

Possible role of magnetic reconnection in the electromagnetic counterpart of binary black hole merger

F. Fraschetti
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Abstract

We propose a qualitative scenario to interpret the argued association between the direct measurement of the gravitational wave event GW150914 by Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO)-Virgo collaborations and the hard $X$-ray transient detected by Fermi-Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) $0.4$ sec after. In a binary system of two gravitationally collapsing objects with a non-vanishing electric charge, the compenetration of the two magnetospheres occurring during the coalescence, through magnetic reconnection, produces a highly collimated relativistic outflow that becomes optically thin and shines in the GBM field of view. We propose that this process should be expected as a commonplace in the future joint gravitational/electromagnetic detections and, in case of neutron star-neutron star merger event, might lead to detectable $X$- or $\gamma$-ray precursors to, or transients associated with, the gravitational bursts.

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F. Fraschetti. 2016-03-07. Possible role of magnetic reconnection in the electromagnetic counterpart of binary black hole merger. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2018/04/054

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