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arXiv · 2411.07035

Inferring jet physics from neutron star - black hole mergers with gravitational waves

Teagan A. Clarke·Paul D. Lasky·Eric Thrane
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Abstract

Neutron star - black hole (NSBH) mergers that undergo tidal disruption may launch jets that could power a gamma-ray burst. We use a population of simulated NSBH systems to measure jet parameters from the gravitational waves emitted by these systems. The conditions during the tidal disruption and merger phase required to power a gamma-ray burst are uncertain. It is likely that the system must achieve some minimum remnant baryonic mass after the merger before a jet can be launched to power a gamma-ray burst. Assuming a fiducial neutron star equation of state, we show how Bayesian hierarchical inference can be used to infer the minimum remnant mass required to launch a gamma-ray burst jet as well as the maximum gamma-ray burst viewing angle to detect a gamma-ray burst. We find that with 200 NSBH observations, we can measure the minimum disk mass to within 0.01 solar masses at 90% credibility. We simultaneously infer the maximum gamma-ray burst viewing angle to within 13 degrees at 90% credibility. We conclude that upcoming upgrades to the LIGO observatories may provide important new insights into the physics of NSBH jets.

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Teagan A. Clarke, Paul D. Lasky, Eric Thrane. 2024-11-11. Inferring jet physics from neutron star - black hole mergers with gravitational waves. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357%2Fadc804

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