arXiv subjects

Brian Metzger

Publications and source records attributed to Brian Metzger.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Quark deconfinement and the duration of short Gamma Ray Bursts

We propose a model for short duration gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) based on the formation of a quark star after the merger of two neutron stars. We assume that the sGRB central engine is a proto-magnetar, which has been previously invoked to explain the plateau-like X-ray emission observed following both long and short GRBs. Here, we show that: i) a few milliseconds after the merger it is possible to form a stable and massive star made in part of quarks; ii) during the early cooling phase of the incompletely formed quark star, the flux of baryons ablated from the surface by neutrinos is large and it does not allow the outflow to achieve a bulk Lorentz factor high enough to produce a GRB; iii) after the quark burning front reaches the stellar surface, baryon ablation ceases and the jet becomes too baryon poor to produce a GRB; iv) however, between these two phases a GRB can be produced over the finite timescale required for the baryon pollution to cease; a characteristic timescale of the order of $\sim 0.1 $ s naturally results from the time the conversion front needs to cover the distance between the rotational pole and the latitude of the last closed magnetic field line; v) we predict a correlation between the luminosity of the sGRB and its duration, consistent with the data; vi) our model also predicts a delay of the order of ten seconds between the time of the merger event and the sGRB, allowing for the possibility of precursor emission and implying that the jet will encounter the dense cocoon formed immediately after the merger.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

Evaporation and Accretion of Extrasolar Comets Following White Dwarf Kicks

Several lines of observational evidence suggest that white dwarfs receive small birth kicks due to anisotropic mass loss. If other stars possess extrasolar analogues to the Solar Oort cloud, the orbits of comets in such clouds will be scrambled by white dwarf natal kicks. Although most comets will be unbound, some will be placed on low angular momentum orbits vulnerable to sublimation or tidal disruption. The dusty debris from these comets will manifest itself as an IR excess temporarily visible around newborn white dwarfs; examples of such disks may already have been seen in the Helix Nebula, and around several other young white dwarfs. Future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope may distinguish this hypothesis from alternatives such as a dynamically excited Kuiper Belt analogue. Although competing hypotheses exist, the observation that $\gtrsim 15\%$ of young white dwarfs possess such disks, if interpreted as indeed being cometary in origin, provides indirect evidence that low mass gas giants (thought necessary to produce an Oort cloud) are common in the outer regions of extrasolar planetary systems. Hydrogen abundances in the atmospheres of older white dwarfs can, if sufficiently low, also be used to place constraints on the joint parameter space of natal kicks and exo-Oort cloud models.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2014

Kilonova Light Curves from the Disk Wind Outflows of Compact Object Mergers

We study the radioactively-powered transients produced by accretion disk winds following a compact object merger. Starting with the outflows generated in two-dimensional hydrodynamical disk models, we use wavelength-dependent radiative transfer calculations to generate synthetic light curves and spectra. We show that the brightness and color of the resulting kilonova transients carry information about the merger physics. In the regions of the wind where neutrino irradiation raises the electron fraction to Ye > 0.25, r-process nucleosynthesis halts before producing high-opacity, complex ions (the lanthanides). The kilonova light curves thus show two distinct components: a brief (~2 day) blue optical transient produced in the outer lanthanide-free ejecta, and a longer (~10 day) infrared transient produced in the inner, lanthanide line-blanketed region. Mergers producing a longer-lived neutron star, or a more rapidly spinning black hole, have stronger neutrino irradiation, generate more lanthanide-free ejecta, and are optically brighter and bluer. At least some optical emission is produced in all disk wind models, which should enhance the detectability of electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave sources. However, the presence of even a small amount (10^{-4} Msun) of overlying, neutron-rich dynamical ejecta will act as a "lanthanide-curtain", obscuring the optical wind emission from certain viewing angles. Because the disk outflows have moderate velocities (~10,000 km/s), numerous resolved line features are discernible in the spectra, distinguishing disk winds from fast-moving dynamical ejecta, and offering a potential diagnostic of the detailed composition of freshly produced r-process material.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

The Dynamic X-ray Sky of the Local Universe

Over the next decade, we can expect time domain astronomy to flourish at optical and radio wavelengths. In parallel with these efforts, a dedicated transient "machine" operating at higher energies (X-ray band through soft gamma-rays) is required to reveal the unique subset of events with variable emission predominantly visible above 100 eV. Here we focus on the transient phase space never yet sampled due to the lack of a sensitive, wide-field and triggering facility dedicated exclusively to catching high energy transients and enabling rapid coordinated multi-wavelength follow-up. We first describe the advancements in our understanding of known X-ray transients that can only be enabled through such a facility and then focus on the classes of transients theoretically predicted to be out of reach of current detection capabilities. Finally there is the exciting opportunity of revealing new classes of X-ray transients and unveiling their nature through coordinated follow-up observations at longer wavelengths.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Astro2010 Decadal Survey Whitepaper: Coordinated Science in the Gravitational and Electromagnetic Skies

It is widely expected that the coming decade will witness the first direct detection of gravitational waves (GWs). The ground-based LIGO and Virgo GW observatories are being upgraded to advanced sensitivity, and are expected to observe a significant binary merger rate. The launch of The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) would extend the GW window to low frequencies, opening new vistas on dynamical processes involving massive (M >~ 10^5 M_Sun) black holes. GW events are likely to be accompanied by electromagnetic (EM) counterparts and, since information carried electromagnetically is complementary to that carried gravitationally, a great deal can be learned about an event and its environment if it becomes possible to measure both forms of radiation in concert. Measurements of this kind will mark the dawn of trans-spectral astrophysics, bridging two distinct spectral bands of information. The aim of this whitepaper is to articulate future directions in both theory and observation that are likely to impact broad astrophysical inquiries of general interest. What will EM observations reflect on the nature and diversity of GW sources? Can GW sources be exploited as complementary probes of cosmology? What cross-facility coordination will expand the science returns of gravitational and electromagnetic observations?

astro-ph.CO↗