arXiv subjects

C. Barbieri

Publications and source records attributed to C. Barbieri.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of $150 ~ M_{\odot}$

On May 21, 2019 at 03:02:29 UTC Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo observed a short duration gravitational-wave signal, GW190521, with a three-detector network signal-to-noise ratio of 14.7, and an estimated false-alarm rate of 1 in 4900 yr using a search sensitive to generic transients. If GW190521 is from a quasicircular binary inspiral, then the detected signal is consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses of $85^{+21}_{-14} M_{\odot}$ and $66^{+17}_{-18} M_{\odot}$ (90 % credible intervals). We infer that the primary black hole mass lies within the gap produced by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova processes, and has only a 0.32 % probability of being below $65 M_{\odot}$. We calculate the mass of the remnant to be $142^{+28}_{-16} M_{\odot}$, which can be considered an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH). The luminosity distance of the source is $5.3^{+2.4}_{-2.6}$ Gpc, corresponding to a redshift of $0.82^{+0.28}_{-0.34}$. The inferred rate of mergers similar to GW190521 is $0.13^{+0.30}_{-0.11}\,\mathrm{Gpc}^{-3}\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Properties and astrophysical implications of the 150 Msun binary black hole merger GW190521

The gravitational-wave signal GW190521 is consistent with a binary black hole merger source at redshift 0.8 with unusually high component masses, $85^{+21}_{-14}\,M_{\odot}$ and $66^{+17}_{-18}\,M_{\odot}$, compared to previously reported events, and shows mild evidence for spin-induced orbital precession. The primary falls in the mass gap predicted by (pulsational) pair-instability supernova theory, in the approximate range $65 - 120\,M_{\odot}$. The probability that at least one of the black holes in GW190521 is in that range is 99.0%. The final mass of the merger $(142^{+28}_{-16}\,M_{\odot})$ classifies it as an intermediate-mass black hole. Under the assumption of a quasi-circular binary black hole coalescence, we detail the physical properties of GW190521's source binary and its post-merger remnant, including component masses and spin vectors. Three different waveform models, as well as direct comparison to numerical solutions of general relativity, yield consistent estimates of these properties. Tests of strong-field general relativity targeting the merger-ringdown stages of coalescence indicate consistency of the observed signal with theoretical predictions. We estimate the merger rate of similar systems to be $0.13^{+0.30}_{-0.11}\,{\rm Gpc}^{-3}\,\rm{yr}^{-1}$. We discuss the astrophysical implications of GW190521 for stellar collapse, and for the possible formation of black holes in the pair-instability mass gap through various channels: via (multiple) stellar coalescence, or via hierarchical merger of lower-mass black holes in star clusters or in active galactic nuclei. We find it to be unlikely that GW190521 is a strongly lensed signal of a lower-mass black hole binary merger. We also discuss more exotic possible sources for GW190521, including a highly eccentric black hole binary, or a primordial black hole binary.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

GW190412: Observation of a Binary-Black-Hole Coalescence with Asymmetric Masses

We report the observation of gravitational waves from a binary-black-hole coalescence during the first two weeks of LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run. The signal was recorded on April 12, 2019 at 05:30:44 UTC with a network signal-to-noise ratio of 19. The binary is different from observations during the first two observing runs most notably due to its asymmetric masses: a ~30 solar mass black hole merged with a ~8 solar mass black hole companion. The more massive black hole rotated with a dimensionless spin magnitude between 0.22 and 0.60 (90% probability). Asymmetric systems are predicted to emit gravitational waves with stronger contributions from higher multipoles, and indeed we find strong evidence for gravitational radiation beyond the leading quadrupolar order in the observed signal. A suite of tests performed on GW190412 indicates consistency with Einstein's general theory of relativity. While the mass ratio of this system differs from all previous detections, we show that it is consistent with the population model of stellar binary black holes inferred from the first two observing runs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Ab initio computation of charge densities for Sn and Xe isotopes

We present the first ab initio calculations for open-shell nuclei past the tin isotopic line, focusing on Xe isotopes as well as doubly-magic Sn isotopes. We show that, even for moderately hard interactions, it is possible to obtain meaningful predictions and that the NNLOsat chiral interaction predicts radii and charge density distributions close to the experiment. We then make a new prediction for ${}^{100}$Sn. This paves the way for ab initio studies of exotic charge density distributions at the limit of the present ab initio mass domain, where experimental data is becoming available. The present study closes the gap between the largest isotopes reachable by ab initio methods and the smallest exotic nuclei accessible to electron scattering experiments.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2020

Observational constraints on the optical and near-infrared emission from the neutron star-black hole binary merger S190814bv

On 2019 August 14, the LIGO and Virgo interferometers detected a high-significance event labelled S190814bv. Preliminary analysis of the GW data suggests that the event was likely due to the merger of a compact binary system formed by a BH and a NS. ElectromagNetic counterparts of GRAvitational wave sources at the VEry Large Telescope (ENGRAVE) collaboration members carried out an intensive multi-epoch, multi-instrument observational campaign to identify the possible optical/near infrared counterpart of the event. In addition, the ATLAS, GOTO, GRAWITA-VST, Pan-STARRS and VINROUGE projects also carried out a search on this event. Our observations allow us to place limits on the presence of any counterpart and discuss the implications for the kilonova (KN) possibly generated by this NS-BH merger, and for the strategy of future searches. Altogether, our observations allow us to exclude a KN with large ejecta mass $M\gtrsim 0.1\,\mathrm{M_\odot}$ to a high ($>90\%$) confidence, and we can exclude much smaller masses in a subsample of our observations. This disfavours the tidal disruption of the neutron star during the merger. Despite the sensitive instruments involved in the campaign, given the distance of S190814bv we could not reach sufficiently deep limits to constrain a KN comparable in luminosity to AT 2017gfo on a large fraction of the localisation probability. This suggests that future (likely common) events at a few hundreds Mpc will be detected only by large facilities with both high sensitivity and large field of view. Galaxy-targeted observations can reach the needed depth over a relevant portion of the localisation probability with a smaller investment of resources, but the number of galaxies to be targeted in order to get a fairly complete coverage is large, even in the case of a localisation as good as that of this event.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

GW190814: Gravitational Waves from the Coalescence of a 23 M$_\odot$ Black Hole with a 2.6 M$_\odot$ Compact Object

We report the observation of a compact binary coalescence involving a 22.2 - 24.3 $M_{\odot}$ black hole and a compact object with a mass of 2.50 - 2.67 $M_{\odot}$ (all measurements quoted at the 90$\%$ credible level). The gravitational-wave signal, GW190814, was observed during LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run on August 14, 2019 at 21:10:39 UTC and has a signal-to-noise ratio of 25 in the three-detector network. The source was localized to 18.5 deg$^2$ at a distance of $241^{+41}_{-45}$ Mpc; no electromagnetic counterpart has been confirmed to date. The source has the most unequal mass ratio yet measured with gravitational waves, $0.112^{+0.008}_{-0.009}$, and its secondary component is either the lightest black hole or the heaviest neutron star ever discovered in a double compact-object system. The dimensionless spin of the primary black hole is tightly constrained to $\leq 0.07$. Tests of general relativity reveal no measurable deviations from the theory, and its prediction of higher-multipole emission is confirmed at high confidence. We estimate a merger rate density of 1-23 Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$ for the new class of binary coalescence sources that GW190814 represents. Astrophysical models predict that binaries with mass ratios similar to this event can form through several channels, but are unlikely to have formed in globular clusters. However, the combination of mass ratio, component masses, and the inferred merger rate for this event challenges all current models for the formation and mass distribution of compact-object binaries.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Distinguishing the nature of ''ambiguous'' merging systems hosting a neutron star: GW190425 in low-latency

GW190425 is the newly discovered gravitational wave (GW) source consistent with a neutron star-neutron star merger with chirp mass of $1.44\pm0.02M_\odot.$ This value falls in the $ambiguous$ interval as from the GW signal alone we can not rule out the presence of a black hole in the binary. In this case, the system would host a neutron star and a very light stellar black hole, with mass close to the maximum value for neutron stars, filling the $mass$ $gap$. No electromagnetic counterpart is firmly associated with this event, due to the poorly informative sky localisation and larger distance, compared to GW/GRB170817. We construct here kilonova light curve models for GW190425, for both double neutron star and black hole-neutron star systems, considering two equations of state consistent with current constraints from the signals of GW170817/GW190425 and the NICER results, including black hole spin effects and assuming a new formula for the mass of the ejecta. The putative presence of a light black hole in GW190425 would have produced a brighter kilonova emission compared to the double neutron star case, letting us to distinguish the nature of the companion to the neutron star. Concerning candidate counterparts of GW190425, classified later on as supernovae, our models could have discarded two transients detected in their early $r$-band evolution. Combining the chirp mass and luminosity distance information from the GW signal with a library of kilonova light curves helps identifying the electromagnetic counterpart early on. We remark that the release in low latency of the chirp mass in this interval of $ambiguous$ values appears to be vital for successful electromagnetic follow-ups.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

GW190425: Observation of a Compact Binary Coalescence with Total Mass $\sim 3.4 M_{\odot}$

On 2019 April 25, the LIGO Livingston detector observed a compact binary coalescence with signal-to-noise ratio 12.9. The Virgo detector was also taking data that did not contribute to detection due to a low signal-to-noise ratio, but were used for subsequent parameter estimation. The 90% credible intervals for the component masses range from 1.12 to 2.52 $M_{\odot}$ (1.45 to 1.88 $M_{\odot}$ if we restrict the dimensionless component spin magnitudes to be smaller than 0.05). These mass parameters are consistent with the individual binary components being neutron stars. However, both the source-frame chirp mass $1.44^{+0.02}_{-0.02} M_{\odot}$ and the total mass $3.4^{+0.3}_{-0.1}\,M_{\odot}$ of this system are significantly larger than those of any other known binary neutron star system. The possibility that one or both binary components of the system are black holes cannot be ruled out from gravitational-wave data. We discuss possible origins of the system based on its inconsistency with the known Galactic binary neutron star population. Under the assumption that the signal was produced by a binary neutron star coalescence, the local rate of neutron star mergers is updated to $250-2810 \text{Gpc}^{-3}\text{yr}^{-1}$.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Model comparison from LIGO-Virgo data on GW170817's binary components and consequences for the merger remnant

GW170817 is the very first observation of gravitational waves originating from the coalescence of two compact objects in the mass range of neutron stars, accompanied by electromagnetic counterparts, and offers an opportunity to directly probe the internal structure of neutron stars. We perform Bayesian model selection on a wide range of theoretical predictions for the neutron star equation of state. For the binary neutron star hypothesis, we find that we cannot rule out the majority of theoretical models considered. In addition, the gravitational-wave data alone does not rule out the possibility that one or both objects were low-mass black holes. We discuss the possible outcomes in the case of a binary neutron star merger, finding that all scenarios from prompt collapse to long-lived or even stable remnants are possible. For long-lived remnants, we place an upper limit of 1.9 kHz on the rotation rate. If a black hole was formed any time after merger and the coalescing stars were slowly rotating, then the maximum baryonic mass of non-rotating neutron stars is at most 3.05 $M_\odot$, and three equations of state considered here can be ruled out. We obtain a tighter limit of 2.67 $M_\odot$ for the case that the merger results in a hypermassive neutron star.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

A Joint Fermi-GBM and LIGO/Virgo Analysis of Compact Binary Mergers From the First and Second Gravitational-wave Observing Runs

We present results from offline searches of Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) data for gamma-ray transients coincident with the compact binary coalescences observed by the gravitational-wave (GW) detectors Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo during their first and second observing runs. In particular, we perform follow-up for both confirmed events and low significance candidates reported in the LIGO/Virgo catalog GWTC-1. We search for temporal coincidences between these GW signals and GBM triggered gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We also use the GBM Untargeted and Targeted subthreshold searches to find coincident gamma-rays below the on-board triggering threshold. This work implements a refined statistical approach by incorporating GW astrophysical source probabilities and GBM visibilities of LIGO/Virgo sky localizations to search for cumulative signatures of coincident subthreshold gamma-rays. All search methods recover the short gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A occurring ~1.7 s after the binary neutron star merger GW170817. We also present results from a new search seeking GBM counterparts to LIGO single-interferometer triggers. This search finds a candidate joint event, but given the nature of the GBM signal and localization, as well as the high joint false alarm rate of $1.1 \times 10^{-6}$ Hz, we do not consider it an astrophysical association. We find no additional coincidences.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Model nuclear energy density functionals derived from ab initio calculations

We present the first application of a new approach, proposed in [Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, 43, 04LT01 (2016)] to derive coupling constants of the Skyrme energy density functional (EDF) from ab initio Hamiltonian. By perturbing the ab initio Hamiltonian with several functional generators defining the Skyrme EDF, we create a set of metadata that is then used to constrain the coupling constants of the functional. We use statistical analysis to obtain such an ab initio-equivalent Skyrme EDF. We find that the resulting functional describes properties of atomic nuclei and infinite nuclear matter quite poorly. This may point out to the necessity of building up the ab initio-equivalent functionals from more sophisticated generators. However, we also indicate that the current precision of the ab initio calculations may be insufficient for deriving meaningful nuclear EDFs.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2020

Novel chiral Hamiltonian and observables in light and medium-mass nuclei

A novel parameterisation of a Hamiltonian based on chiral effective field theory is introduced. Specifically, three-nucleon operators at next-to-next-to-leading order are combined with an existing (and successful) two-body interaction containing terms up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order. The resulting potential is labelled $N\!N\!$+$3N\text{(lnl)}$. The objective of the present work is to investigate the performance of this new Hamiltonian across light and medium-mass nuclei. Binding energies, nuclear radii and excitation spectra are computed using no-core shell model and self-consistent Green's function approaches. Calculations with $N\!N\!$+$3N\text{(lnl)}$ are compared to two other representative Hamiltonians currently in use, namely NNLO$_{\text{sat}}$ and the older $N\!N\!$+$3N(400)$. Overall, the performance of the novel interaction is very encouraging. In light nuclei, total energies are generally in good agreement with experimental data. Known spectra are also well reproduced with a few notable exceptions. The good description of ground-state energies carries on to heavier nuclei, all the way from oxygen to nickel isotopes. Except for those involving excitation processes across the $N=20$ gap, which is overestimated by the new interaction, spectra are of very good quality, in general superior to those obtained with NNLO$_{\text{sat}}$. Although largely improving on $N\!N\!$+$3N(400)$ results, charge radii calculated with $N\!N\!$+$3N\text{(lnl)}$ still underestimate experimental values, as opposed to the ones computed with NNLO$_{\text{sat}}$ that successfully reproduce available data on nickel. On the whole, the new two- plus three-nucleon Hamiltonian introduced in the present work represents a promising alternative to existing nuclear interactions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2020

Gamma-ray burst jet propagation, development of angular structure, and the luminosity function

The fate and observable properties of gamma-ray burst jets depend crucially on their interaction with the progenitor material that surrounds the central engine. We present a semi-analytical model of such interaction, which builds upon several previous analytical and numerical works, aimed at predicting the angular distribution of jet and cocoon energy and Lorentz factor after breakout, given the properties of the ambient material and of the jet at launch. Using this model, we construct synthetic populations of structured jets, assuming either a collapsar (for long gamma-ray bursts -- LGRBs) or a binary neutron star merger (for short gamma-ray bursts -- SGRBs) as progenitor. We assume all progenitors to be identical, and we allow little variability in the jet properties at launch: our populations therefore feature a quasi-universal structure. These populations are able to reproduce the main features of the observed LGRB and SGRB luminosity functions, although several uncertainties and caveats remain to be addressed.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Search for intermediate mass black hole binaries in the first and second observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Virgo network

Gravitational wave astronomy has been firmly established with the detection of gravitational waves from the merger of ten stellar mass binary black holes and a neutron star binary. This paper reports on the all-sky search for gravitational waves from intermediate mass black hole binaries in the first and second observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Virgo network. The search uses three independent algorithms: two based on matched filtering of the data with waveform templates of gravitational wave signals from compact binaries, and a third, model-independent algorithm that employs no signal model for the incoming signal. No intermediate mass black hole binary event was detected in this search. Consequently, we place upper limits on the merger rate density for a family of intermediate mass black hole binaries. In particular, we choose sources with total masses $M=m_1+m_2\in[120,800]$M$_\odot$ and mass ratios $q = m_2/m_1 \in[0.1,1.0]$. For the first time, this calculation is done using numerical relativity waveforms (which include higher modes) as models of the real emitted signal. We place a most stringent upper limit of $0.20$~Gpc$^{-3}$yr$^{-1}$ (in co-moving units at the 90% confidence level) for equal-mass binaries with individual masses $m_{1,2}=100$M$_\odot$ and dimensionless spins $χ_{1,2}= 0.8$ aligned with the orbital angular momentum of the binary. This improves by a factor of $\sim 5$ that reported after Advanced LIGO's first observing run.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Search for Eccentric Binary Black Hole Mergers with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo during their First and Second Observing Runs

When formed through dynamical interactions, stellar-mass binary black holes may retain eccentric orbits ($e>0.1$ at 10 Hz) detectable by ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. Eccentricity can therefore be used to differentiate dynamically-formed binaries from isolated binary black hole mergers. Current template-based gravitational-wave searches do not use waveform models associated to eccentric orbits, rendering the search less efficient to eccentric binary systems. Here we present results of a search for binary black hole mergers that inspiral in eccentric orbits using data from the first and second observing runs (O1 and O2) of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The search uses minimal assumptions on the morphology of the transient gravitational waveform. We show that it is sensitive to binary mergers with a detection range that is weakly dependent on eccentricity for all bound systems. Our search did not identify any new binary merger candidates. We interpret these results in light of eccentric binary formation models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Lepton scattering from $^{40}$Ar and $^{48}$Ti in the quasielastic peak region

Neutron and proton spectral functions of $^{40}$Ar, $^{40}$Ca, and $^{48}$Ti isotopes are computed using the ab initio self-consistent Green's function approach. The resulting radii and charge distributions are in good agreement with available experimental data. The spectral functions of Ar and Ti are then utilized to calculate inclusive ($e$,$e$') cross sections within a factorization scheme and are found to correctly reproduce the recent Jefferson Lab measurements. Based on these successful agreements, the weak charged and neutral current double-differential cross sections for neutrino-$^{40}$Ar scattering are predicted in the quasielastic region. Results obtained by replacing the (experimentally inaccessible) neutron spectral distribution of $^{40}$Ar with the (experimentally accessible) proton distribution of $^{48}$Ti are compared and the accuracy of this approximation is assessed.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2019

Electromagnetic counterparts of black hole-neutron star mergers: dependence on the neutron star properties

Detections of gravitational waves (GWs) may soon uncover the signal from the coalescence of a black hole - neutron star (BHNS) binary, that is expected to be accompanied by an electromagnetic (EM) signal. In this paper, we present a composite semi-analytical model to predict the properties of the expected EM counterpart from BHNS mergers, focusing on the kilonova emission and on the gamma-ray burst afterglow. Four main parameters rule the properties of the EM emission: the NS mass $M_\mathrm{NS}$, its tidal deformability $Λ_\mathrm{NS}$, the BH mass and spin. Only for certain combinations of these parameters an EM counterpart is produced. Here we explore the parameter space, and construct light curves, analysing the dependence of the EM emission on the NS mass and tidal deformability. Exploring the NS parameter space limiting to $M_\mathrm{NS}-Λ_\mathrm{NS}$ pairs described by a physically motivated equations of state (EoS), we find that the brightest EM counterparts are produced in binaries with low mass NSs (fixing the BH properties and the EoS). Using constraints on the NS EoS from GW170817, our modeling shows that the emission falls in a narrow range of absolute magnitudes. Within the range of explored parameters, light curves and peak times are not dissimilar to those from NSNS mergers, except in the B band. The lack of an hyper/supra-massive NS in BHNS coalescences causes a dimming of the blue kilonova emission in absence of the neutrino interaction with the ejecta.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Search for gravitational-wave signals associated with gamma-ray bursts during the second observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo

We present the results of targeted searches for gravitational-wave transients associated with gamma-ray bursts during the second observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo, which took place from 2016 November to 2017 August. We have analyzed 98 gamma-ray bursts using an unmodeled search method that searches for generic transient gravitational waves and 42 with a modeled search method that targets compact-binary mergers as progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts. Both methods clearly detect the previously reported binary merger signal GW170817, with p-values of $<9.38 \times 10^{-6}$ (modeled) and $3.1 \times 10^{-4}$ (unmodeled). We do not find any significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associated with the other gamma-ray bursts analyzed, and therefore we report lower bounds on the distance to each of these, assuming various source types and signal morphologies. Using our final modeled search results, short gamma-ray burst observations, and assuming binary neutron star progenitors, we place bounds on the rate of short gamma-ray bursts as a function of redshift for $z \leq 1$. We estimate 0.07-1.80 joint detections with Fermi-GBM per year for the 2019-20 LIGO-Virgo observing run and 0.15-3.90 per year when current gravitational-wave detectors are operating at their design sensitivities.

astro-ph.HE↗