Investigating GW190425 with numerical-relativity simulations

Abstract

The third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration has resulted in many gravitational wave detections, including the binary neutron star merger GW190425. However, none of these events have been accompanied with an electromagnetic transient found during extensive follow-up searches. In this article, we perform new numerical-relativity simulations of binary neutron star and black hole-neutron star systems that have a chirp mass consistent with GW190425. Assuming that the GW190425's sky location was covered with sufficient accuracy during the electromagnetic follow-up searches, we investigate whether the nondetection of the kilonova is compatible with the source parameters estimated through the gravitational-wave analysis and how one can use this information to place constraints on the properties of the system. Our simulations suggest that GW190425 is incompatible with an unequal mass binary neutron star merger with a mass ratio $q<0.8$ when considering stiff or moderately stiff equations of state if the binary was face on and covered by the observation. Our analysis shows that a detailed observational result for kilonovae will be useful to constrain the mass ratio of binary neutron stars in future events.