Polarization of Kilonova Emission from a Black Hole–Neutron Star Merger

Abstract

Abstract A multi-messenger, black hole (BH)–neutron star (NS) merger event still remains to be detected. The tidal (dynamical) ejecta from such an event, thought to produce a kilonova, is concentrated in the equatorial plane and occupies only part of the whole azimuthal angle. In addition, recent simulations suggest that the outflow or wind from the post-merger remnant disk, presumably anisotropic, can be a major ejecta component responsible for a kilonova. For any ejecta whose photosphere shape deviates from the spherical symmetry, the electron scattering at the photosphere causes a net polarization in the kilonova light. Recent observational and theoretical polarization studies have been focused on the NS–NS merger kilonova AT2017gfo. We extend those works to the case of a BH–NS merger kilonova. We show that the degree of polarization at the first ∼1 hr can be up to ∼3% if a small amount (10−4 M ⊙) of free neutrons have survived in the fastest component of the dynamical ejecta, whose beta-decay causes a precursor in the kilonova light. The polarization degree can be ∼0.6% if free neutrons survived in the fastest component of the disk wind. Future polarization detection of a kilonova will constrain the morphology and composition of the dominant ejecta component, therefore helping to identify the nature of the merger.