arXiv subjects

Cecilia Chirenti

Publications and source records attributed to Cecilia Chirenti.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Overtones or higher harmonics? Prospects for testing the no-hair theorem with gravitational wave detections

In light of the current (and future) gravitational wave detections, more sensitive tests of general relativity can be devised. Black hole spectroscopy has long been proposed as a way to test the no-hair theorem, that is, how closely an astrophysical black hole can be described by the Kerr geometry. We use simulations from the Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes project to assess the detectability of one extra quasinormal mode in the ringdown of a binary black hole coalescence, with numbers $(\ell,m,n)$ distinct from the fundamental quadrupolar mode (2,2,0). Our approach uses the complex waveform as well as the time derivative of the phase in two prescriptions that allow us to estimate the point at which the ringdown is best described by a single mode or by a sum of two modes. By scaling all amplitudes to $t_{\rm peak}+10M$, our results for non-spinning binaries indicate that for mass ratios of 1:1 to 5:1 the first overtone (2,2,1) will always have a larger excitation amplitude than the fundamental modes of other harmonics, making it a more promising candidate for detection. Even though the (2,2,1) mode damps about three times faster than the higher harmonics and its frequency is very close to that of the (2,2,0) mode, its larger excitation amplitude still guarantees a more favorable scenario for detection. In particular, for equal-mass binaries the ratio of the amplitude of the first overtone (2,2,1) to the fundamental mode (2,2,0) will be $> 0.65$, whereas the corresponding ratio for the higher harmonics will be $< 0.05$. For binaries with mass ratios larger than 5:1 we find that the modes (2,2,1), (2,1,0) and (3,3,0) should have comparable amplitude ratios in the range 0.3 - 0.4. The expectation that the (2,2,1) mode should be more easily detectable than the (3,3,0) mode is confirmed with an extension of the mode resolvability analysis for larger mass ratios.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Spicing up the recipe for echoes from exotic compact objects: orbital differences and corrections in rotating backgrounds

Recently it has been argued that near-horizon modifications of the standard (classical) black hole spacetime could lead to observable alterations of the gravitational waveform generated by a binary black hole coalescence. Such modifications can be inspired by quantum gravity considerations, resulting in speculative horizonless exotic compact objects (ECOs) with no singularities, which may be an alternative to the classical black hole solution. A largely model-independent description of these objects proposed in the literature relies on the introduction of a partially reflective wall at some small distance away from the "would-be" horizon. The inspiral-merger-ringdown of a pair of such objects would be subject to possibly detectable deviations from the black hole case due to matter effects. In particular, the ringdown phase would be modified by the late emergence of so-called "echoes" in the waveform, but most studies so far have considered spherically symmetric backgrounds. We use an in-falling scalar charge as an initial perturbation to simulate the excitation of the echoes of a rotating ECO and we explore both the co-rotating and counter-rotating cases, which provide distinct signals. In particular, rotation breaks the symmetry between positive and negative frequencies and introduces a subdominant frequency contribution in each echo, which we examine here for the first time. Our results follow consistently from the solution of the Teukolsky equation using the MST method developed by Mano, Suzuki and Takasugi, and the construction of the complex Green's function integrated over different particle geodesics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Constraining the equation of state of high-density cold matter using nuclear and astronomical measurements

The increasing richness of data related to cold dense matter, from laboratory experiments to neutron-star observations, requires a framework for constraining the properties of such matter that makes use of all relevant information. Here, we present a rigorous but practical Bayesian approach that can include diverse evidence, such as nuclear data and the inferred masses, radii, tidal deformabilities, moments of inertia, and gravitational binding energies of neutron stars. We emphasize that the full posterior probability distributions of measurements should be used rather than, as is common, imposing a cut on the maximum mass or other quantities. Our method can be used with any parameterization of the equation of state (EOS). We use both a spectral parameterization and a piecewise polytropic parameterization with variable transition densities to illustrate the implications of current measurements and show how future measurements in many domains could improve our understanding of cold catalyzed matter. We find that different types of measurements will play distinct roles in constraining the EOS in different density ranges. For example, better symmetry energy measurements will have a major influence on our understanding of matter somewhat below nuclear saturation density but little influence above that density. In contrast, precise radius measurements or multiple tidal deformability measurements of the quality of those from GW170817 or better will improve our knowledge of the EOS over a broader density range.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Magnetized Neutron Stars

In this work we show the results for numerical solutions of the relativistic Grad-Shafranov equation for a typical neutron star with 1.4 solar masses. We have studied the internal magnetic field considering both the poloidal and toroidal components, as well as the behavior of the field lines parametrized by the ratio between these components of the field.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Searching for hypermassive neutron stars with short gamma-ray bursts

Neutron star mergers can form a hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) remnant, which may be the engine of a short gamma ray burst (SGRB) before it collapses to a black hole, possibly several hundred milliseconds after the merger. During the lifetime of a HMNS, numerical relativity simulations indicate that it will undergo strong oscillations and emit GWs with frequencies of a few kilohertz, which are unfortunately too high for detection to be probable with Advanced LIGO. Here we discuss the current and future prospects for detecting these oscillations as modulation of the SGRB. The understanding of the physical mechanism responsible for the HMNS oscillations will provide information on the equation of state of the hot HMNS, and the observation of these frequencies in the SGRB data would give us insight into the emission mechanism of the SGRB.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Torsional oscillations of magnetized neutron stars with mixed poloidal-toroidal fields

The quasiperiodic oscillations found in the three giant flares of soft gamma-ray repeaters observed to date have been interpreted as crustal oscillations caused by a starquake following a dramatic rearrangement of the stellar magnetic field. Motivated by these observations, we study the influence of the magnetic field geometry in the frequencies of the torsional oscillations of magnetized neutron stars. We use realistic tabulated equations of state for the core and crust of the stars and model their magnetic field as a dipole plus a toroidal component, using the relativistic Grad-Shafranov equation. The frequencies of the torsional modes are obtained by the numerical solution of the eigenvalue problem posed by the linear perturbation equations in the Cowling approximation. Our results show how the asteroseismology of these stars becomes complicated by the degeneracy in the frequencies due to the large relevant parameter space. However, we are able to propose a testable scenario in which the rearrangement of the magnetic field causes an evolution in the frequencies. Finally, we show that there is a magnetic field configuration that maximizes the energy in the perturbation at linear order, which could be related to the trigger of the giant flare.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

On the Persistence of QPOs During the SGR 1806-20 Giant Flare

The discovery of quasi-periodic brightness oscillations (QPOs) in the X-ray emission accompanying the giant flares of the soft gamma-ray repeaters SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 has led to intense speculation about their nature and what they might reveal about the interiors of neutron stars. Here we take a fresh look at the giant flare data for SGR 1806-20, and in particular we analyze short segments of the post-peak emission using a Bayesian procedure that has not previously been applied to these data. We find at best weak evidence that any QPO persists for more than $\sim 1$ second; instead, almost all the data are consistent with a picture in which there are numerous independently-excited modes that decay within a few tenths of a second. This has interesting implications for the rapidity of decay of the QPO modes, which could occur by the previously-suggested mechanism of coupling to the MHD continuum. The strongest QPOs favor certain rotational phases, which might suggest special regions of the crust or of the magnetosphere. We also find several previously unreported QPOs in these data, which may help in tracking down their origin.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

On the radial stability of ultra compact Schwarzschild stars beyond the Buchdahl limit

In this paper we used the theory of adiabatic radial oscillations developed by Chandrasekhar to study the conditions for dynamical stability of constant energy-density stars, or Schwarzschild stars, in the unstudied ultra compact regime beyond the Buchdahl limit, that is, for configurations with radius $R$ in the range $R_{\rm S}<R<(9/8)R_{\rm S}$, where $R_{\rm S}$ is the Schwarzschild radius of the star. These recently found analytical solutions exhibit a negative pressure region in their centre and, in the limit when $R\to R_{\rm S}$, the full interior region of the star becomes filled with negative pressure. Here we present a systematic analysis of the stability of these configurations against radial perturbations. We found that, contrary to the usual expectation found in many classical works, the ultra compact Schwarzschild star is stable against radial oscillations. We computed values of the critical adiabatic index $γ_{c}$ for several stellar models with varying radius $R/R_{\rm S}$ and found that it also approaches a finite value as $R/R_{\rm S} \to 1$

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Probing neutron star structure via f-mode oscillations and damping in dynamical spacetime models

Gravitational wave and electromagnetic observations can provide new insights into the nature of matter at supra-nuclear densities inside neutron stars. Improvements in electromagnetic and gravitational wave sensing instruments continue to enhance the accuracy with which they can measure the masses, radii, and tidal deformability of neutron stars. These better measurements place tighter constraints on the equation of state of cold matter above nuclear density. In this article, we discuss a complementary approach to get insights into the structure of neutron stars by providing a model prediction for non-linear fundamental eigenmodes (f-modes) and their decay over time, which are thought to be induced by time-dependent tides in neutron star binaries. Building on pioneering studies that relate the properties of f-modes to the structure of neutron stars, we systematically study this link in the non-perturbative regime using models that utilize numerical relativity. Using a suite of fully relativistic numerical relativity simulations of oscillating TOV stars, we establish blueprints for the numerical accuracy needed to accurately compute the frequency and damping times of f-mode oscillations, which we expect to be a good guide for the requirements in the binary case. We show that the resulting f-mode frequencies match established results from linear perturbation theory, but the damping times within numerical errors depart from linear predictions. This work lays the foundation for upcoming studies aimed at a comparison of theoretical models of f-mode signatures in gravitational waves, and their uncertainties with actual gravitational wave data, searching for neutron star binaries on highly eccentric orbits, and probing neutron star structure at high densities.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Cumulative probability for the sum of exponentially-distributed variables

Exponential distributions appear in a wide range of applications including chemistry, nuclear physics, time series analyses, and stock market trends. There are conceivable circumstances in which one would be interested in the cumulative probability distribution of the sum of some number of exponential variables, with potentially differing constants in their exponents. In this article we present a pedagogical derivation of the cumulative distribution, which reproduces the known formula from power density analyses in the limit that all of the constants are equal, and which assumes no prior knowledge of combinatorics except for some of the properties of a class of symmetric polynomials in $n$ variables (Schur polynomials).

math.HO↗

arXiv2018

Black hole quasinormal modes in the era of LIGO

After a long wait, gravitational wave astronomy has finally begun. Binary black hole mergers are being detected by LIGO and Virgo, and theorists are starting to receive a wealth of data to be analized. At this point we can at long last begin to test alternative theories of gravity and different models of compact objects. One powerful tool to do this is the perturbative analysis of background spacetimes. The objective of this brief review is to introduce the notion and analysis of black hole quasinormal modes, starting from the linear perturbation theory and including a brief discussion of numerical methods and astrophysical implications in the gravitational wave signals recently detected. With these basic ingredients, more sophisticated analyses and applications are possible.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

$M/R$ estimates for two neutron stars in LMXBs with possible r-mode frequencies detected

The puzzling existence of a number of neutron stars that appear to be in the r-mode instability window supports further investigations of the r-mode frequencies, damping times and saturation amplitudes, especially now in light of the much anticipated and exciting results from LIGO and NICER. It has been suggested by Mahmoodifar and Strohmayer that coherent frequencies found in the RXTE data of the accreting millisecond pulsar XTE J1751-305 and during the 2001 superburst of 4U 1636-536 (one of the accreting sources to be observed by NICER) could, in fact, be r-modes. Based on these observations, we expand here the results of a previous work on relativistic, rotational and differential rotation corrections to the r-mode frequency in order to provide more accurate estimates of the $M-R$ relation for these neutron stars. Finally, we compare our results with predictions from a few realistic tabulated equations of state, providing further constraints that favor more compact models. We find that, if the observed frequencies indeed correspond to r-modes, then the masses of XTE J1751-305 and 4U 1636-536 should lie in the approximate ranges $1.48 - 1.56 M_{\odot}$ and $1.60 - 1.68 M_{\odot}$, respectively.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Gravitational waves from f-modes excited by the inspiral of highly eccentric neutron star binaries

As gravitational wave instrumentation becomes more sensitive, it is interesting to speculate about subtle effects that could be analyzed using upcoming generations of detectors. One such effect that has great potential for revealing the properties of very dense matter is fluid oscillations of neutron stars. These have been found in numerical simulations of the hypermassive remnants of double neutron star mergers and of highly eccentric neutron star orbits. Here we focus on the latter and sketch out some ideas for the production, gravitational-wave detection, and analysis of neutron star oscillations. These events will be rare (perhaps up to several tens per year could be detected using third-generation detectors such as the Einstein Telescope or the Cosmic Explorer), but they would have unique diagnostic power for the analysis of cold, catalyzed, dense matter. Furthermore, these systems are unusual in that analysis of the tidally excited f-modes of the stars could yield simultaneous measurements of their masses, moments of inertia, and tidal Love numbers, using the frequency, damping time, and amplitude of the modes. They would thus present a nearly unique opportunity to test observationally the I-Love-Q relation. The analysis of such events will require significant further work in nuclear physics and general relativistic nonlinear mode coupling, and thus we discuss further directions that will need to be pursued. For example, we note that for nearly-grazing encounters, numerical simulations show that the energy delivered to the f-modes may be up to two orders of magnitude greater than predicted in the linear theory.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

R-mode frequencies of rapidly and differentially rotating relativistic neutron stars

R-modes of neutron stars could be a source of gravitational waves for ground based detectors. If the precise frequency $σ$ is known, guided gravitational wave searches with enhanced detectability are possible. Because of its physical importance many authors have calculated the r-mode frequency. For the dominant mode, the associated gravitational wave frequency is 4/3 times the angular velocity of the star $Ω$, subject to various corrections of which relativistic and rotational corrections are the most important. This has led several authors to investigate the dependence of the r-mode frequency on factors such as the relativistic compactness parameter ($M/R$) and the angular velocity of stars with different equations of state. The results found so far, however, are almost independent of the equation of state. Here we investigate the effect of rapid rotation and differential rotation on $σ$. We evolve the perturbation equations using the Cowling approximation by applying finite differencing methods to compute the r-mode frequency for a series of rotating neutron stars with polytropic equations of state. We find that rotational effects in the r-mode frequency can be larger than relativistic effects for rapidly spinning stars with low compactness, reducing the observed frequency. Differential rotation also acts to decrease $σ$, but its effect inscreases with the compactness. The results presented here are relevant to the design of gravitational wave and electromagnetic r-mode searches.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Did GW150914 produce a rotating gravastar?

The interferometric LIGO detectors have recently measured the first direct gravitational-wave signal from what has been interpreted as the inspiral, merger and ringdown of a binary system of black holes. The signal-to-noise ratio of the measured signal is large enough to leave little doubt that it does refer to the inspiral of two massive and ultracompact objects, whose merger yields a rotating black hole. Yet, the quality of the data is such that some room is left for alternative interpretations that do not involve black holes, but other objects that, within classical general relativity, can be equally massive and compact, namely, gravastars. We here consider the hypothesis that the merging objects were indeed gravastars and explore whether the merged object could therefore be not a black hole but a rotating gravastar. After comparing the real and imaginary parts of the ringdown signal of GW150914 with the corresponding quantities for a variety of gravastars, and notwithstanding the very limited knowledge of the perturbative response of rotating gravastars, we conclude it is not possible to model the measured ringdown of GW150914 as due to a rotating gravastar.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Effect of a variable cosmological constant on black hole quasinormal modes

Many different cosmological models have been proposed to address the cosmological constant problem and the coincidence problem. We compare here four different models that can be used to describe an effective (time-dependent) cosmological constant $Λ(z)$. A numerical analysis of the $Λ(z)$ evolution obtained for each model shows that it can be used for distinguishing between all four models. We calculate next the $ω(Λ)$ frequencies for quasinormal modes of gravitational perturbations of Schwarzschild-de Sitter black holes at different redshifts. Considering that the variation of $Λ$ happens on cosmological timescales, the combined $ω(Λ(z))$ could be used in principle to track the evolution of the cosmological constant. We quantify the resulting minute frequency shift in the quasinormal mode frequencies and show that the relative frequency shift grows as $M^2$. However, even in a most optimistic scenario with an extremely high mass supermassive black hole there is no prospect for the detection of this effect.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

Fundamental oscillation modes of neutron stars: validity of universal relations

We study the $f$-mode frequencies and damping times of nonrotating neutron stars (NS) in general relativity (GR) by solving the linearized perturbation equations, with the aim to establish "universal" relations that depend only weakly on the equations of state (EOS). Using a more comprehensive set of EOSs, we re-examine some proposed linearizations that describe the $f$-mode parameters in terms of mass and radius of the neutron star (NS), and we test a more recent proposal for expressing the $f$-mode parameters as quadratic functions of the effective compactness. Our extensive results for each equation of state considered allow us to study the accuracy of each proposal. In particular, we find that the damping time deviates quite considerably from the proposed linearization. We introduce a new universal relation for the product of the $f$-mode frequency and damping time as a function of the (ordinary) compactness, which proved to be more accurate. The relations using the effective compactness on the other hand also fit our data accurately. Our results show that the maximum oscillation frequency depends strongly on the EOS, such that the measurement of a high oscillation frequency would rule out several EOSs. Lastly, we compare the exact mode frequencies to those obtained in the Cowling approximation, and also to results obtained with a nonlinear evolution code, validating the implementations of the different approaches.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

The effect of magnetic fields on the r-modes of slowly rotating relativistic neutron stars

We study here the r-modes in the Cowling approximation of a slowly rotating and magnetized neutron star with a poloidal magnetic field, where we neglect any deformations of the spherical symmetry of the star. We were able to quantify the influence of the magnetic field in both the oscillation frequency $σ_r$ of the r-modes and the growth time $t_{gw}$ of the gravitational radiation emission. We conclude that magnetic fields of the order $10^{15}$ G at the center of the star are necessary to produce any changes. Our results for $σ_r$ show a decrease of up to $\sim$ $5\%$ in the frequency with increasing magnetic field, with a $B^2$ dependence for rotation rates $Ω/Ω_K \gtrsim 0.07$ and $B^4$ for $Ω/Ω_K \lesssim 0.07$. (These results should be trusted only within slow rotation approximation and we kept $Ω/Ω_{K}< 0.3$.) For $t_{gw}$, we find that it is approximately $30\%$ smaller than previous Newtonian results for non-magnetized stars, which would mean a faster growth of the emission of gravitational radiation. The effect of the magnetic field in $t_{gw}$ causes a non-monotonic effect, that first slightly increases $t_{gw}$ and then decreases it further by another $\sim$ $5\%$. (The value of magnetic field for which $t_{gw}$ starts to decrease depends on the rotational frequency, but it is generally around $10^{15}$G.) Future work should be dedicated to the study of the effect of viscosity in the presence of magnetic fields, in order to establish the magnetic correction to the instability window.

gr-qc↗