arXiv subjects

M. Coleman Miller

Publications and source records attributed to M. Coleman Miller.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

The Uncertain Future of Massive Binaries Obscures the Origin of LIGO/Virgo Sources

The LIGO/Virgo gravitational--wave observatories have detected 50 BH-BH coalescences. This sample is large enough to have allowed several recent studies to draw conclusions about the branching ratios between isolated binaries versus dense stellar clusters as the origin of double BHs. It has also led to the exciting suggestion that the population is highly likely to contain primordial black holes. Here we demonstrate that such conclusions cannot yet be robust, because of the large current uncertainties in several key aspects of binary stellar evolution. These include the development and survival of a common envelope, the mass and angular momentum loss during binary interactions, mixing in stellar interiors, pair-instability mass loss and supernova outbursts. Using standard tools such as the population synthesis codes StarTrack and COMPAS and the detailed stellar evolution code MESA, we examine as a case study the possible future evolution of Melnick 34, the most massive known binary star system. We show that, despite its well-known orbital architecture, various assumptions regarding stellar and binary physics predict a wide variety of outcomes: from a close BH-BH binary (which would lead to a potentially detectable coalescence), through a wide BH-BH binary (which might be seen in microlensing observations), or a Thorne-Zytkow object, to a complete disruption of both objects by pair-instability supernovae. Thus since the future of massive binaries is inherently uncertain, sound predictions about the properties of BH-BH systems are highly challenging at this time. Consequently, drawing conclusions about the formation channels for the LIGO/Virgo BH-BH merger population is premature.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Constraining the Neutron Star Mass--Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. III. Model Description and Verification of Parameter Estimation Codes

We describe the X-ray pulse profile models we use, and how we use them, to analyze Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) observations of rotation-powered millisecond pulsars to obtain information about the mass-radius relation of neutron stars and the equation of state of the dense matter in their cores. Here we detail our modeling of the observed profile of PSR J0030+0451 that we analyzed in Miller et al. (2019) and Riley et al. (2019) and describe a cross-verification of computations of the pulse profiles of a star with R/M 3, in case stars this compact need to be considered in future analyses. We also present our early cross-verification efforts of the parameter estimation procedures used by Miller et al. (2019) and Riley et al. (2019) by analyzing two distinct synthetic data sets. Both codes yielded credible regions in the mass-radius plane that are statistically consistent with one another and both gave posterior distributions for model parameter values consistent with the values that were used to generate the data. We also summarize the additional tests of the parameter estimation procedure of Miller et al. (2019) that used synthetic pulse profiles and the NICER pulse profile of PSR J0030+0451. We then illustrate how the precision of mass and radius estimates depends on the pulsar's spin rate and the size of its hot spot by analyzing four different synthetic pulse profiles. Finally, we assess possible sources of systematic error in these estimates made using this technique, some of which may warrant further investigation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Binary black holes mergers from hierarchical triples in open clusters

A promising channel for producing binary black hole mergers is the Lidov-Kozai orbital resonance in hierarchical triple systems. While this mechanism has been studied in isolation, the distribution of such mergers in time and across star-forming environments is not well characterized. In this work, we explore Lidov-Kozai-induced black hole mergers in open clusters, combining semi-analytic and Monte Carlo methods to calculate merger rates and delay times for eight different population models. We predict a merger rate density of $\sim$1--10\,Gpc$^{-3}$\,yr$^{-1}$ for the Lidov-Kozai channel in the local universe, and all models yield delay-time distributions in which a significant fraction of binary black hole mergers (e.g., $\sim$20\%--50\% in our baseline model) occur during the open cluster phase. Our findings suggest that a substantial fraction of mergers from hierarchical triples occur within star-forming regions in spiral galaxies.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Golden galactic binaries for LISA: mass-transferring white dwarf black hole binaries

We study the evolution and gravitational wave emission of white dwarf -- black hole accreting binaries with a semi-analytical model. These systems will evolve across the mHz gravitational wave frequency band and potentially be detected by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We identify new universal relations for this class of binaries, which relate the component masses to the gravitational wave frequency and its first derivative. Combined with the high precision measurements possible with LISA, these relations could allow us to infer the component masses and the luminosity distance of the source. LISA has therefore the potential to detect and characterize a virtually unexplored binary population.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Investigating the I-Love-Q and w-mode Universal Relations Using Piecewise Polytropes

Neutron stars are expected to have a tight relation between their moment of inertia ($I$), tidal deformability ($λ$, which is related to the Love number), and rotational mass quadrupole moment ($Q$) that is nearly independent of the unknown equation of state (EoS) of cold dense matter. These and similar relations are often called "universal", and they have been used for various applications including analysis of gravitational wave data. We extend these studies using piecewise polytropic representations of dense matter, including for so-called twin stars that have a second branch of stability at high central densities. The second-branch relations are less tight, by a factor of $\sim 3$, than the relations found in the first stable branch. We find that the relations on both branches become tighter when we increase the lower limit to the maximum mass for the EoS under consideration. We also propose new empirical relations between $I$, $λ$, $Q$, and the complex frequency $ω=ω_R+iω_I$ of the fundamental axial $w$-mode, and find that they are comparably tight to the I-Love-Q correlations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Merger rates in primordial black hole clusters without initial binaries

Primordial black holes formed through the collapse of cosmological density fluctuations have been hypothesised as contributors to the dark matter content of the Universe. At the same time, their mergers could contribute to the recently observed population of gravitational-wave sources. We investigate the scenario in which primordial black holes form binaries at late times in the Universe. Specifically, we re-examine the mergers of primordial black holes in small clusters of ~30 objects in the absence of initial binaries. Binaries form dynamically through Newtonian gravitational interactions. These binaries act as heat sources for the cluster, increasing the cluster's velocity dispersion, which inhibits direct mergers through gravitational-wave two-body captures. Meanwhile, three-body encounters of tight binaries are too rare to tighten binaries sufficiently to allow them to merge through gravitational-wave emission. We conclude that in the absence of initial binaries, merger rates of primordial black holes in the Bird et al. (2016) initial cluster configuration are at least an order of magnitude lower than previously suggested, which makes gravitational-wave detections of such sources improbable.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

The evolutionary roads leading to low effective spins, high black hole masses, and O1/O2 rates of LIGO/Virgo binary black holes

All ten LIGO/Virgo binary black hole (BH-BH) coalescences reported from the O1/O2 runs have near zero effective spins. There are only three potential explanations of this fact. If the BH spin magnitudes are large then (i) either both BH spin vectors must be nearly in the orbital plane or (ii) the spin angular momenta of the BHs must be oppositely directed and similar in magnitude. Or, (iii) the BH spin magnitudes are small. We test the third hypothesis within the framework of the classical isolated binary evolution scenario of the BH-BH merger formation. We test three models of angular momentum transport in massive stars: a mildly efficient transport by meridional currents (as employed in the Geneva code), an efficient transport by the Tayler-Spruit magnetic dynamo (as implemented in the MESA code), and a very-efficient transport (as proposed by Fuller et al.) to calculate natal BH spins. We allow for binary evolution to increase the BH spins through accretion and account for the potential spin-up of stars through tidal interactions. Additionally, we update the calculations of the stellar-origin BH masses, include revisions to the history of star formation and to the chemical evolution across cosmic time. We find that we can match simultaneously the observed BH-BH merger rate density, BH masses, and effective spins. Models with efficient angular momentum transport are favored. The updated stellar-mass weighted gas-phase metallicity evolution now used in our models appears to be a key in better reproducing the LIGO/Virgo merger rate estimate. Mass losses during the pair-instability pulsation supernova phase are likely overestimated if the merger GW170729 hosts a BH more massive than 50 Msun. We also estimate rate of BH-NS mergers from recent LIGO/Virgo observations. Our updated models of BH-BH, BH-NS and NS-NS mergers are now publicly available at www.syntheticuniverse.org.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Astro2020 APC White Paper: Theoretical Astrophysics 2020-2030

The past two decades have seen a tremendous investment in observational facilities that promise to reveal new and unprecedented discoveries about the universe. In comparison, the investment in theoretical work is completely dwarfed, even though theory plays a crucial role in the interpretation of these observations, predicting new types of phenomena, and informing observing strategies. In this white paper, we argue that in order to reach the promised critical breakthroughs in astrophysics over the next decade and well beyond, the national agencies must take a serious approach to investment in theoretical astrophysics research. We discuss the role of theory in shaping our understanding of the universe, and then we provide a multi-level strategy, from the grassroots to the national, to address the current underinvestment in theory relative to observational work.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Constraining the Neutron Star Mass-Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. I. The Millisecond Pulsar X-ray Data Set

We present the set of deep Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray timing observations of the nearby rotation-powered millisecond pulsars PSRs J0437-4715, J0030+0451, J1231-1411, and J2124-3358, selected as targets for constraining the mass-radius relation of neutron stars and the dense matter equation of state via modeling of their pulsed thermal X-ray emission. We describe the instrument, observations, and data processing/reduction procedures, as well as the series of investigations conducted to ensure that the properties of the data sets are suitable for parameter estimation analyses to produce reliable constraints on the neutron star mass-radius relation and the dense matter equation of state. We find that the long-term timing and flux behavior and the Fourier-domain properties of the event data do not exhibit any anomalies that could adversely affect the intended measurements. From phase-selected spectroscopy, we find that emission from the individual pulse peaks is well described by a single-temperature hydrogen atmosphere spectrum, with the exception of PSR J0437-4715, for which multiple temperatures are required.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Constraining the Neutron Star Mass-Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. II. Emission from Hot Spots on a Rapidly Rotating Neutron Star

We describe the model of surface emission from a rapidly rotating neutron star that is applied to Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer X-ray data of millisecond pulsars in order to statistically constrain the neutron star mass-radius relation and dense matter equation of state. To ensure that the associated calculations are both accurate and precise, we conduct an extensive suite of verification tests between our numerical codes for both the Schwarzschild + Doppler and Oblate Schwarzschild approximations, and compare both approximations against exact numerical calculations. We find superb agreement between the code outputs, as well as in comparison against a set of analytical and semi-analytical calculations, which combined with their speed, demonstrates that the codes are well-suited for large-scale statistical sampling applications. A set of verified, high-precision reference synthetic pulse profiles is provided to the community to facilitate testing of other independently developed codes.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Star Formation in Accretion Disks and SMBH Growth

Accretion disks around active galactic nuclei are potentially unstable to star formation at large radii. We note that when the compact objects formed from some of these stars spiral into the central supermassive black hole, there is no radiative feedback and therefore the accretion rate is not limited by radiation forces. Using a set of accretion disk models, we calculate the accretion rate onto the central supermassive black hole in both gas and compact objects. We find that the timescale for a supermassive black hole to double in mass can decrease by factors ranging from $\sim0.7$ to as low as $\sim0.1$ in extreme cases, compared to gas accretion alone. Our results suggest that the formation of extremely massive black holes at high redshift may occur without prolonged super-Eddington gas accretion or very massive seed black holes. We comment on potential observational signatures as well as implications for other observations of active galactic nuclei.

astro-ph.HE↗

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

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

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

A Search for High-Energy Counterparts to Fast Radio Bursts

We report on a search for high-energy counterparts to fast radio bursts (FRBs) with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). We find no significant associations for any of the 23 FRBs in our sample, but report upper limits to the high-energy fluence for each on timescales of 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 s. We report lower limits on the ratio of the radio to high-energy fluence, $\frac{f_{r}}{f_γ}$, for timescales of 0.1 and 100 s. We discuss the implications of our non-detections on various proposed progenitor models for FRBs, including analogs of giant pulses from the Crab pulsar and hyperflares from magnetars. This work demonstrates the utility of analyses of high-energy data for FRBs in tracking down the nature of these elusive sources.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Determining the Equation of State of Cold, Dense Matter with X-ray Observations of Neutron Stars

The unknown state of matter at ultra-high density, large proton/neutron number asymmetry, and low temperature is a major long-standing problem in modern physics. Neutron stars provide the only known setting in the Universe where matter in this regime can stably exist. Valuable information about the interior structure of neutron stars can be extracted via sensitive observations of their exteriors. There are several complementary techniques that require different combinations of high time resolution, superb spectral resolution, and high spatial resolution. In the upcoming decade and beyond, measurements of the masses and radii of an ensemble of neutron stars using these techniques, based on data from multiple proposed next-generation X-ray telescopes, can produce definitive empirical constraints on the allowed dense matter equation of state.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

The unique potential of extreme mass-ratio inspirals for gravitational-wave astronomy

The inspiral of a stellar-mass compact object into a massive ($\sim 10^{4}$-$10^{7} M_{\odot}$) black hole produces an intricate gravitational-wave signal. Due to the extreme-mass ratios involved, these systems complete $\sim 10^{4}$-$10^{5}$ orbits, most of them in the strong-field region of the massive black hole, emitting in the frequency range $\sim10^{-4}-1~$Hz. This makes them prime sources for the space-based observatory LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna). LISA observations will enable high-precision measurements of the physical characteristics of these extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs): redshifted masses, massive black hole spin and orbital eccentricity can be determined with fractional errors $\sim 10^{-4}$-$10^{-6}$, the luminosity distance with better than $\sim 10\%$ precision, and the sky localization to within a few square degrees. EMRIs will provide valuable information about stellar dynamics in galactic nuclei, as well as precise data about massive black hole populations, including the distribution of masses and spins. They will enable percent-level measurements of the multipolar structure of massive black holes, precisely testing the strong-gravity properties of their spacetimes. EMRIs may also provide cosmographical data regarding the expansion of the Universe if inferred source locations can be correlated with galaxy catalogs.

astro-ph.HE↗

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↗