arXiv subjects

Duncan Neill

Publications and source records attributed to Duncan Neill.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Measuring radii of merging neutron stars with interface-mode asteroseismology informed by nuclear theory and experiment

The structure and dynamics of neutron stars can be used to probe the physics of extreme matter at nuclear densities and beyond. Nucleonic matter up to ~2-3 times nuclear saturation density is well-studied by nuclear experiments and theoretical modelling. Matter beyond these densities may contain non-nucleonic degrees of freedom that determine the structure of the neutron star inner core and influence bulk observables like stellar radius. Neutron star radius is a key parameter for constraining the core equation of state, but is not a direct gravitational-wave observable during neutron star mergers. Here we show that, if nucleonic physics is well constrained at low densities, the frequency of the asteroseismic crust-core interface mode in a neutron star can be used to infer its radius to within 5-10%, in a way which is notably insensitive to the details of the inner core. This frequency can be measured through multimessenger coincident timing of resonant shattering flares, or direct observation of dynamical tidal resonance with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors. We show that improved constraints on low-density nucleonic physics by nuclear experimental and theoretical efforts will substantially improve such a radius measurement, leveraging low-density efforts for an improved understanding of physics at higher densities.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Resonant shattering flares as asteroseismic tests of chiral effective field theory

Chiral effective field theory ($\chi$EFT) has proved to be a powerful microscopic framework for predicting the properties of neutron-rich nuclear matter with quantified theoretical uncertainties up to about twice the nuclear saturation density. Tests of $\chi$EFT predictions are typically performed at low densities using nuclear experiments, with neutron star (NS) constraints only being considered at high densities. In this work, we discuss how asteroseismic quasi-normal modes within NSs could be used to constrain specific matter properties at particular densities, not just the integrated quantities to which bulk NS observables are sensitive. We focus on the crust-core interface mode, showing that measuring this mode's frequency would provide a meaningful test of $\chi$EFT at densities around half the saturation density. Conversely, we use nuclear matter properties predicted by $\chi$EFT to estimate that this mode's frequency is around 185 $\pm$ 50 Hz. Asteroseismic observables such as resonant phase shifts in gravitational-wave signals and multimessenger resonant shattering flare timings, therefore, have the potential to provide useful tests of $\chi$EFT.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Strengthening nuclear symmetry energy constraints using multiple resonant shattering flares of neutron stars with realistic mass uncertainties

With current and planned gravitational-wave (GW) observing runs, coincident multimessenger timing of Resonant Shattering Flares (RSFs) and GWs may soon allow for neutron star (NS) asteroseismology to be used to constrain the nuclear symmetry energy, an important property of fundamental nuclear physics that influences the composition and equation of state of NSs. In this work we examine the effects of combining multiple RSF detections on these symmetry energy constraints, and consider how realistic uncertainties in the masses of the progenitor NSs may weaken them. We show that the detection of subsequent multimessenger events has the potential to substantially improve constraints beyond those obtained from the first, and that this improvement is insensitive to the mass of the NSs which produce the RSFs and its uncertainty. This sets these asteroseismic constraints apart from bulk NS properties such as radius, for which the NS mass is highly important, meaning that any multimessenger RSF and GW events can equally improve our knowledge of fundamental physics.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Constraining Nuclear Symmetry Energy with Multi-messenger Resonant Shattering Flares

Much effort is devoted to measuring the nuclear symmetry energy through neutron star (NS) and nuclear observables. Since matter in the NS core may be non-hadronic, observables like radii and tidal deformability may not provide reliable constraints on properties of nucleonic matter. We demonstrate that coincident timing of a resonant shattering flare (RSF) and gravitational wave signal during binary NS inspiral probes the crust-core transition region and provides constraints on the symmetry energy comparable to terrestrial nuclear experiments. We show that nuclear masses, RSFs and measurements of NS radii and tidal deformabilities constrain different density ranges of the EOS, providing complementary probes.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Resonant Shattering Flares in Black Hole-Neutron Star and Binary Neutron Star Mergers

Resonant Shattering flares (RSFs) are bursts of gamma-rays expected to be triggered by tidal resonance of a neutron star (NS) during binary inspiral. They are strongly dependent on the magnetic field strength at the surface of the NS. By modelling these flares as being the result of multiple colliding relativistic shells launched during the resonance window, we find that the prompt non-thermal gamma-ray emission may have luminosity up to a few $\times10^{48}\text{ erg/s}$, and that a broad-band afterglow could be produced. We compute the expected rates of detectable RSFs using the BPASS population synthesis code, with different assumptions about the evolution of surface magnetic field strengths before merger. We find the rate of detectable RSFs to be $\sim 0.0001-5$ per year for BHNS mergers and $\sim 0.0005-25$ per year for NSNS mergers, with the lower bound corresponding to surface-field decay consistent with magneto-thermal evolution in purely crustal fields, while the upper bounds are for systems which have longer-lived surface magnetic fields supported by flux frozen into the superconducting core. If some of the observed SGRB precursor flares are indeed RSFs, this suggests the presence of a longer-lived surface field for some fraction of the neutron star population, and that we could expect RSFs to be the most common detectable EM counterpart to GW detections of BHNS mergers. The non-detection of a RSF prior to GRB170817A provides an upper bound on the magnetic fields of the progenitor NSs of $B_{\rm surf}\sim 10^{13.5} \text{ G}$.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Resonant Shattering Flares as Multimessenger Probes of the Nuclear Symmetry Energy

The behaviour of the nuclear symmetry energy near saturation density is important for our understanding of dense nuclear matter. This density dependence can be parameterised by the nuclear symmetry energy and its derivatives evaluated at nuclear saturation density. In this work we show that the core-crust interface mode of a neutron star is sensitive to these parameters, through the (density-weighted) shear-speed within the crust, which is in turn dependent on the symmetry energy profile of dense matter. We calculate the frequency at which the neutron star quadrupole ($\ell = 2$) crust-core interface mode must be driven by the tidal field of its binary partner to trigger a Resonant Shattering Flare (RSF). We demonstrate that coincident multimessenger timing of an RSF and gravitational wave chirp from a neutron star merger would enable us to place constraints on the symmetry energy parameters that are competitive with those from current nuclear experiments.

astro-ph.HE↗