arXiv subjects

Antonios Tsokaros

Publications and source records attributed to Antonios Tsokaros.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Enabling real-time multi-messenger astrophysics discoveries with deep learning

Multi-messenger astrophysics is a fast-growing, interdisciplinary field that combines data, which vary in volume and speed of data processing, from many different instruments that probe the Universe using different cosmic messengers: electromagnetic waves, cosmic rays, gravitational waves and neutrinos. In this Expert Recommendation, we review the key challenges of real-time observations of gravitational wave sources and their electromagnetic and astroparticle counterparts, and make a number of recommendations to maximize their potential for scientific discovery. These recommendations refer to the design of scalable and computationally efficient machine learning algorithms; the cyber-infrastructure to numerically simulate astrophysical sources, and to process and interpret multi-messenger astrophysics data; the management of gravitational wave detections to trigger real-time alerts for electromagnetic and astroparticle follow-ups; a vision to harness future developments of machine learning and cyber-infrastructure resources to cope with the big-data requirements; and the need to build a community of experts to realize the goals of multi-messenger astrophysics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Dynamically stable ergostars exist: General relativistic models and simulations

We construct the first dynamically stable ergostars (equilibrium neutron stars that contain an ergoregion) for a compressible, causal equation of state. We demonstrate their stability by evolving both strict and perturbed equilibrium configurations in full general relativity for over a hundred dynamical timescales ($\gtrsim 30$ rotational periods) and observing their stationary behavior. This stability is in contrast to earlier models which prove radially unstable to collapse. Our solutions are highly differentially rotating hypermassive neutron stars with a corresponding spherical compaction of $C=0.3$. Such ergostars can provide new insights into the geometry of spacetimes around highly compact, rotating objects and on the equation of state at supranuclear densities. Ergostars may form as remnants of extreme binary neutron star mergers and possibly provide another mechanism for powering short gamma-ray bursts.

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arXiv2019

Impact of high spins on the ejection of mass in GW170817

Following the detection of GW170817 and the accompanying kilonova AT2017gfo, it has become crucial to model and understand the various channels through which mass is ejected in neutron-star binary mergers. We discuss the impact that high stellar spins prior to merger have on the ejection of mass focussing, in particular, on the dynamically ejected mass by performing general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations employing finite-temperature equations of state and neutrino-cooling effects. Using eight different models with dimensionless spins ranging from $χ\simeq-0.14$ to $χ\simeq0.29$ we discuss how the presence of different spins affects the angular distribution and composition of the ejected matter. Most importantly, we find that the dynamical component of the ejected mass can be strongly suppressed in the case of high spins aligned with the orbital angular momentum. In this case, in fact, the merger remnant has an excess angular momentum yielding a more extended and "colder" object, with reduced ability to shed mass dynamically. We discuss how this result impacts the analysis of the recent merger event GW170817 and its kilonova afterglow.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

New code for equilibriums and quasiequilibrium initial data of compact objects. IV. Rotating relativistic stars with mixed poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields

A new code for computing fully general relativistic solutions of strongly magnetized rapidly rotating compact stars is developed as a part of the COCAL (Compact Object CALculator) code. The full set of Einstein's equations, Maxwell's equations and magnetohydrodynamic equations are consistently solved assuming perfect conductivity, stationarity, and axisymmetry, and strongly magnetized solutions associated with mixed poloidal and toroidal components of magnetic fields are successfully obtained in generic (non-circular) spacetimes. We introduce the formulation of the problem and the numerical method in detail, then present examples of extremely magnetized compact star solutions and their convergence tests. It is found that, in extremely magnetized stars, the stellar matter can be expelled from the region of strongest toroidal fields. Hence we conjecture that a toroidal electro-vacuum region may appear inside of the extremely magnetized compact stars, which may seem like the neutron star becoming the strongest toroidal solenoid coil in the universe.

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arXiv2019

Effect of spin on the inspiral of binary neutron stars

We perform long-term simulations of spinning binary neutron stars, with our highest dimensionless spin being $χ\sim 0.32$. To assess the importance of spin during the inspiral we vary the spin, and also use two equations of state, one that consists of plain nuclear matter and produces compact stars (SLy), and a hybrid one that contains both nuclear and quark matter and leads to larger stars (ALF2). Using high resolution that has grid spacing $Δx\sim 98$ m on the finest refinement level, we find that the effects of spin in the phase evolution of a binary system can be larger than the one that comes from tidal forces. Our calculations demonstrate explicitly that although tidal effects are dominant for small spins ($\lesssim 0.1$), this is no longer true when the spins are larger, but still much smaller than the Keplerian limit.

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arXiv2019

Effects of spin on magnetized binary neutron star mergers and jet launching

Events GW170817 and GRB 170817A provide the best confirmation so far that compact binary mergers where at least one of the companions is a neutron star (NS) can be the progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs). An open question for GW170817 remains the values and impact of the initial NS spins. The initial spins could possibly affect the remnant black hole (BH) mass and spin, the remnant disk and the formation and lifetime of a jet and its luminosity. Here we summarize our general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of spinning, NS binaries undergoing merger and delayed collapse to a BH. The binaries consist of two identical NSs, modeled as $Γ=2$ polytropes, in quasicircular orbit, each with spins $χ_{\rm{NS}}=-0.053,\,0,\,0.24$, or $0.36$. The stars are endowed initially with a dipolar magnetic field extending from the interior into the exterior, as in a radio pulsar. Following merger, the redistribution of angular momentum by magnetic braking and magnetic turbulent viscosity in the hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) remnant, along with the loss of angular momentum due to gravitational radiation, induce the formation of a massive, nearly uniformly rotating inner core surrounded by a magnetized Keplerian disk-like envelope. The HMNS eventually collapses to a BH, with spin $a/M_{\rm BH} \simeq 0.78$ independent of the initial spin of the NSs, surrounded by a magnetized accretion disk. The larger the initial NS spin the heavier the disk. After $Δt\sim 3000-4000 M \sim 45-60(M_{\rm NS}/1.625M_\odot)\rm ms$ following merger, a mildly relativistic jet is launched. The lifetime of the jet [$Δt\sim 100-140(M_{\rm NS}/1.625M_\odot)\rm ms$] and its outgoing Poynting luminosity [$L_{\rm EM}\sim 10^{51.5\pm 1}\rm erg/s$] are consistent with typical sGRBs, as well as with the Blandford--Znajek mechanism for launching jets and their associated Poynting luminosities.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Complete initial value spacetimes containing black holes in general relativity: Application to black hole-disk systems

We present a new initial data formulation to solve the full set of Einstein equations for spacetimes that contain a black hole under general conditions. The method can be used to construct complete initial data for spacetimes (the full metric) that contain a black hole. Contrary to most current studies the formulation requires minimal assumptions. For example, rather than imposing the form of the spatial conformal metric we impose 3 gauge conditions adapted to the coordinates describing the system under consideration. For stationary, axisymmetric spacetimes our method yields Kerr-Schild black holes in vacuum and rotating equilibrium neutron stars. We demonstrate the power of our new method by solving for the first time the whole system of Einstein equations for a nonaxisymmetric, self-gravitating torus in the presence of a black hole. The black hole has dimensionless spin $J_{\rm bh}/M_{\rm bh}^2=0.9918$, a rotation axis tilted at a $30^\circ$ angle with respect to the angular momentum of the disk, and a mass of $\sim 1/5$ of the disk.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Differentially rotating strange star in general relativity

Rapidly and differentially rotating compact stars are believed to be formed in binary neutron star merger events, according to both numerical simulations and the multi-messenger observation of GW170817. The lifetime and evolution of such a differentially rotating star, is tightly related to the observations in the post-merger phase. Various studies on the maximum mass of differentially rotating neutron stars have been done in the past, most of which assume the so-called $j$-const law as the rotation profile inside the star and consider only neutron star equations of state. In this paper, we extend the studies to strange star models, as well as to a new rotation profile model. Significant differences are found between differentially rotating strange stars and neutron stars, with both differential rotation laws. A moderate differential rotation rate for neutron stars is found to be too large for strange stars, resulting in a rapid drop in the maximum mass as the differential rotation degree is increased further from $\hat{A}\sim2.0$, where $\hat{A}$ is a parameter characterizing the differential rotation rate for $j$-const law. As a result the maximum mass of a differentially rotating self-bound star drops below the uniformly rotating mass shedding limit for a reasonable degree of differential rotation. The continuous transition to the toroidal sequence is also found to happen at a much smaller differential rotation rate and angular momentum than for neutron stars. In spite of those differences, $\hat{A}$-insensitive relation between the maximum mass for a given angular momentum is still found to hold, even for the new differential rotation law. Astrophysical consequences of these differences and how to distinguish between strange star and neutron star models with future observations are also discussed.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Deep Learning for Multi-Messenger Astrophysics: A Gateway for Discovery in the Big Data Era

This report provides an overview of recent work that harnesses the Big Data Revolution and Large Scale Computing to address grand computational challenges in Multi-Messenger Astrophysics, with a particular emphasis on real-time discovery campaigns. Acknowledging the transdisciplinary nature of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics, this document has been prepared by members of the physics, astronomy, computer science, data science, software and cyberinfrastructure communities who attended the NSF-, DOE- and NVIDIA-funded "Deep Learning for Multi-Messenger Astrophysics: Real-time Discovery at Scale" workshop, hosted at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, October 17-19, 2018. Highlights of this report include unanimous agreement that it is critical to accelerate the development and deployment of novel, signal-processing algorithms that use the synergy between artificial intelligence (AI) and high performance computing to maximize the potential for scientific discovery with Multi-Messenger Astrophysics. We discuss key aspects to realize this endeavor, namely (i) the design and exploitation of scalable and computationally efficient AI algorithms for Multi-Messenger Astrophysics; (ii) cyberinfrastructure requirements to numerically simulate astrophysical sources, and to process and interpret Multi-Messenger Astrophysics data; (iii) management of gravitational wave detections and triggers to enable electromagnetic and astro-particle follow-ups; (iv) a vision to harness future developments of machine and deep learning and cyberinfrastructure resources to cope with the scale of discovery in the Big Data Era; (v) and the need to build a community that brings domain experts together with data scientists on equal footing to maximize and accelerate discovery in the nascent field of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2018

Constant circulation sequences of binary neutron stars and their spin characterization

For isentropic fluids, dynamical evolution of a binary system conserves the baryonic mass and circulation; therefore, sequences of constant rest mass and constant circulation are of particular importance. In this work, we present the extension of our Compact Object CALculator (\cocal{}) code to compute such quasiequilibria and compare them with the well-known corotating and irrotational sequences, the latter being the simplest, zero-circulation case. The circulation as a measure of the spin for a neutron star in a binary system has the advantage of being exactly calculable since it is a local quantity. To assess the different measures of spin, such as the angular velocity of the star, the quasilocal, dimensionless spin parameter $J/M^2$, or the circulation $\mathcal{C}$, we first compute sequences of single, uniformly rotating stars and describe how the different spin diagnostics are related to each other. The connection to spinning binary systems is accomplished through the concept of circulation and the use of the constant rotational velocity formulation. Finally, we explore a modification of the latter formulation that naturally leads to differentially rotating binary systems.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Jet launching from binary black hole-neutron star mergers: Dependence on black hole spin, binary mass ratio and magnetic field orientation

Black hole-neutron star (BHNS) mergers are one of the most promising targets for multimessenger astronomy. Using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of BHNS undergoing merger we showed that a magnetically--driven jet can be launched by the remnant if the NS is endowed with a dipole B field extending from the interior into the exterior as in a radio pulsar. These self-consistent studies considered a BHNS system with mass ratio $q=3:1$, BH spin $a/M_{BH}=0.75$ aligned with the total orbital angular momentum (OAM), and a NS that is irrotational, threaded by an aligned B field, and modeled by an $Γ$--law equation of state with $Γ=2$. Here, as a crucial step in establishing BHNS systems as viable progenitors of central engines that power short gamma--ray bursts (sGRBs) and thereby solidify their role as multimessenger sources, we survey different BHNS configurations that differ in BH spin ($a/M_{BH} =-0.5,\,0,\,0.5,\,0.75$), in the mass ratio ($q=3:1$ and $q=5:1$), and in the orientation of the B field (aligned and tilted by $90^\circ$ with respect to the OAM). We find that by $Δt\sim 3500M-4000M \sim 88(M_{NS}/1.4M_\odot){\rm ms}-100(M_{NS}/1.4M_\odot)\rm ms$ after the peak gravitational wave signal a jet is launched in the cases where the initial BH spin is $a/M_{BH}= 0.5$ or $0.75$. The lifetime of the jets[$Δt\sim 0.5(M_{NS}/1.4M_\odot){\rm s-0.7}(M_{NS}/1.4M_\odot)\rm s$] and their Poynting luminosities [$L_{jet}\sim 10^{51\pm 1}\rm erg/s$] are consistent with sGRBs, as well as with the Blandford--Znajek mechanism. By the time we terminate our simulations, we do not observe either an outflow or a large-scale B field collimation in the other configurations we simulate. These results suggest that future multimessenger detections from BHNSs are more likely produced by binaries with highly spinning BH companions and small tilt-angle B fields.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

GW170817, General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations, and the Neutron Star Maximum Mass

Recent numerical simulations in general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) provide useful constraints for the interpretation of the GW170817 discovery. Combining the observed data with these simulations leads to a bound on the maximum mass of a cold, spherical neutron star (the TOV limit): ${M_{\rm max}^{\rm sph}}\lesssim 2.74/β$, where $β$ is the ratio of the maximum mass of a uniformly rotating neutron star (the supramassive limit) over the maximum mass of a nonrotating star. Causality arguments allow $β$ to be as high as $1.27$, while most realistic candidate equations of state predict $β$ to be closer to $1.2$, yielding ${M_{\rm max}^{\rm sph}}$ in the range $2.16-2.28 M_\odot$. A minimal set of assumptions based on these simulations distinguishes this analysis from previous ones, but leads to a similar estimate. There are caveats, however, and they are enumerated and discussed. The caveats can be removed by further simulations and analysis to firm up the basic argument.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Uniformly rotating, axisymmetric and triaxial quark stars in general relativity

Quasi-equilibrium models of uniformly rotating axisymmetric and triaxial quark stars are computed in general relativistic gravity scenario. The Isenberg-Wilson-Mathews (IWM) formulation is employed and the Compact Object CALculator (COCAL) code is extended to treat rotating stars with finite surface density and new equations of state (EOSs). Besides the MIT bag model for quark matter which is composed of de-confined quarks, we examine a new EOS proposed by Lai and Xu that is based on quark clustering and results in a stiff EOS that can support masses up to $3.3M_\odot$ in the case we considered. We perform convergence tests for our new code to evaluate the effect of finite surface density in the accuracy of our solutions and construct sequences of solutions for both small and high compactness. The onset of secular instability due to viscous dissipation is identified and possible implications are discussed. An estimate of the gravitational wave amplitude and luminosity based on quadrupole formulas is presented and comparison with neutron stars is discussed.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Modeling differential rotations of compact stars in equilibriums

Outcomes of numerical relativity simulations of massive core collapses or binary neutron star mergers with moderate masses suggest formations of rapidly and differentially rotating neutron stars. Subsequent fall back accretion may also amplify the degree of differential rotations. We propose new formulations for modeling differential rotations of those compact stars, and present selected solutions of differentially rotating, stationary, and axisymmetric compact stars in equilibriums. For the cases when rotating stars reach break-up velocities, the maximum masses of such rotating models are obtained.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Gravitational wave content and stability of uniformly, rotating, triaxial neutron stars in general relativity

Targets for ground-based gravitational wave interferometers include continuous, quasiperiodic sources of gravitational radiation, such as isolated, spinning neutron stars. In this work we perform evolution simulations of uniformly rotating, triaxially deformed stars, the compressible analogues in general relativity of incompressible, Newtonian Jacobi ellipsoids. We investigate their stability and gravitational wave emission. We employ five models, both normal and supramassive, and track their evolution with different grid setups and resolutions, as well as with two different evolution codes. We find that all models are dynamically stable and produce a strain that is approximately one-tenth the average value of a merging binary system. We track their secular evolution and find that all our stars evolve towards axisymmetry, maintaining their uniform rotation, kinetic energy, and angular momentum profiles while losing their triaxiality.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Do triaxial supramassive compact stars exist?

We study quasiequilibrium solutions of triaxially deformed rotating compact stars -- a generalization of Jacobi ellipsoids under relativistic gravity and compressible equations of state (EOS). For relatively stiff (piecewise) polytropic EOSs, we find supramassive triaxial solutions whose masses exceed the maximum mass of the spherical solution, but are always lower than those of axisymmetric equilibriums. The difference in the maximum masses of triaxial and axisymmetric solutions depends sensitively on the EOS. If the difference turns out to be only about 10%, it will be strong evidence that the EOS of high density matter becomes substantially softer in the core of neutron stars. This finding opens a novel way to probe phase transitions of high density nuclear matter using detections of gravitational waves from new born neutron stars or magnetars under fallback accretion.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Initial-data contribution to the error budget of gravitational waves from neutron-star binaries

As numerical calculations of inspiralling neutron-star binaries reach values of accuracy that are comparable with those of binary black holes, a fine budgeting of the various sources of error becomes increasingly important. Among such sources, the initial data is normally not accounted for, the rationale being that the error on the initial spacelike hypersurface is always far smaller than the one gained during the evolution. We here consider critically this assumption and perform a comparative analysis of the gravitational waveforms relative to essentially the same physical binary configuration when computed with two different initial-data codes, and then evolved with the same evolution code. More specifically, we consider the evolution of irrotational neutron-star binaries computed either with the pseudo-spectral code \lorene{}, or with the newly developed finite-difference code \cocal{}; both sets of initial data are subsequently evolved with the high-order evolution code \whiskythc{}. In this way we find that despite the initial data shows global (local) differences that are $\lesssim 0.02\%\ (1\%)$, the gravitational-wave phase at the merger time differs by $\sim 0.5$ radians after $\sim 3$ orbits, a surprisingly large value. Our results highlight the highly nonlinear impact that errors in the initial data can have on the subsequent evolution and the importance of using exactly the same initial data when comparative studies are done.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Asymptotic vacua with higher derivatives

We study limits of vacuum, isotropic universes in the full, effective, four-dimensional theory with higher derivatives. We show that all flat vacua as well as general curved ones are globally attracted by the standard, square root scaling solution at early times. Open vacua asymptote to horizon-free, Milne states in both directions while closed universes exhibit more complex logarithmic singularities, starting from initial data sets of a possibly smaller dimension. We also discuss the relation of our results to the asymptotic stability of the passage through the singularity in ekpyrotic and cyclic cosmologies.

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