Observations Of GW170817 Research Articles

First Constraints on the Photon Coupling of Axionlike Particles from Multimessenger Studies of the Neutron Star Merger GW170817.

We use multimessenger observations of the neutron star merger event GW170817 to derive new constraints on axionlike particles (ALPs) coupling to photons. ALPs are produced via Primakoff and photon coalescence processes in the merger, escape the remnant, and decay back into two photons, giving rise to a photon signal approximately along the line of sight to the merger. We analyze the spectral and temporal information of the ALP-induced photon signal and use the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) observations of GW170817 to derive our new ALP constraints. We also show the improved prospects with future MeV γ-ray missions, taking the spectral and temporal coverage of Fermi-LAT as an example.

Symmetry energy and neutron star properties constrained by chiral effective field theory calculations

We investigate the nuclear symmetry energy and neutron star properties using a Bayesian analysis based on constraints from different chiral effective field theory calculations using new energy density functionals that allow for large variations at high densities. Constraints at high densities are included from observations of GW170817 and from NICER. In particular, we show that both NICER analyses lead to very similar posterior results for the symmetry energy and neutron star properties when folded into our equation-of-state framework. Using the posteriors, we provide results for the symmetry energy and the slope parameter, as well as for the proton fraction, the speed of sound, and the central density in neutron stars. Moreover, we explore correlations of neutron star radii with the pressure and the speed of sound in neutron stars. Our 95% credibility ranges for the symmetry energy Sv, the slope parameter L, and the radius of a 1.4M⊙ neutron star, R1.4, are Sv=(30.6–33.9)MeV, L=(43.7–70.0)MeV, and R1.4=(11.6–13.2)km. Our analysis for the proton fraction shows that larger and/or heavier neutron stars are more likely to cool rapidly via the direct Urca process. Within our equation-of-state framework a maximum mass of neutron stars Mmax>2.1M⊙ indicates that the speed of sound needs to exceed the conformal limit. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Late Engine Activity in Neutron Star Mergers and Its Cocoon: An Alternative Scenario for the Blue Kilonova

Follow-up observations of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) have continuously unveiled late extended/plateau emissions, attributed to jet launch due to late engine activity, the nature of which remains enigmatic. Observations of GW170817 have confirmed that sGRBs are linked to neutron star (NS) mergers, and discovered a kilonova (KN) transient. Nevertheless, the origin of the early blue KN in GW170817 remains unclear. Here, we investigate the propagation of late jets in the merger ejecta. By analytically modeling jet dynamics, we determine the properties of the jet-heated cocoon, and estimate its cooling emission. Our results reveal that late jets generate significantly brighter cocoons compared to prompt jets, primarily due to reduced energy loss by adiabatic cooling. Notably, with typical late jets, emission from the cocoon trapped inside the ejecta can reproduce the blue KN emission. We estimate that the forthcoming Einstein Probe mission will detect the early cocoon emission at a rate of ∼2.1−1.6+3.2 yr−1, and that optical/UV follow-ups in the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA O5 run will be able to detect ∼1.0−0.7+1.5 cocoon emission events. As an electromagnetic counterpart, this emission provides an independent tool to probe NS mergers in the Universe, complementing insights from sGRBs and gravitational waves.

Analytic model for off-axis GRB afterglow images – geometry measurement and implications for measuring H0

ABSTRACT We present an analytic model for measuring the jet core angle (θc) and viewing angle (θobs) of off-axis gamma-ray bursts independently of the jet angular structure outside of the core. We model the images of off-axis jets, and using this model, we show that θobs and θc can be measured using any two of the three following observables: the afterglow light curve, the flux-centroid motion, and the image width. The model is calibrated using 2D relativistic hydrodynamic simulations with a broad range of jet angular structures. We study the systematic errors due to the uncertainty in the jet structure and find that when using the light curve and centroid motion to determine θobs and θc, our formulae can be accurate to a level of 5–10 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. In light of the Hubble tension, the systematic error in cos θobs in GRBs originating in a binary compact object merger is of special interest. We find that the systematic uncertainty on the measurement of cos θobs due to the unknown jet structure is smaller than 1.5 per cent for well-observed events. A similar error is expected if the microphysical parameters evolve at a level that is not easily detected by the light curve. Our result implies that this type of systematic uncertainty will not prevent measurement of H0 to a level of 2 per cent with a sample of well-observed GW events with resolved afterglow image motion. Applying our model to the light curve and centroid motion observations of GW170817, we find $\theta _{obs}=19.2\pm 2~\deg$ (1σ) and $\theta _c=1.5-4~\deg$.

Kaon-meson condensation and Δ resonance in hyperonic stellar matter within a relativistic mean-field model

We study the equation of state of dense baryon matter within the relativistic mean-field model, and we include ${\Delta}$(1232) isobars into IUFSU model with hyperons and consider the possibility of kaon meson condensation. We find that it is necessary to consider the $\Delta$ resonance state inside the massive neutron star. The critical density of Kaon mesons and hyperons is shifted to a higher density region, in this respect an early appearance of $\Delta$ resonances is crucial to guarantee the stability of the branch of hyperonized star with the difference of the coupling parameter $x_{\sigma \Delta}$ constrained based on the QCD rules in nuclear matter. The $\Delta$ resonance produces a softer equation of state in the low density region, which makes the tidal deformability and radius consistent with the observation of GW170817. As the addition of new degrees of freedom will lead to a softening of the equation of state, the ${\sigma}$-cut scheme, which states the decrease of neutron star mass can be lowered if one assumes a limited decrease of the ${\sigma}$-meson strength at ${\rho_B}$($\rho_B > \rho_0$), finally we get a maximum mass neutron star with $\Delta$ resonance heavier than 2$M_{\odot}$.

The luminosity functions of kilonovae from binary neutron star mergers under different equation of states

ABSTRACTKilonovae produced by mergers of binary neutron stars (BNSs) are important transient events to be detected by time domain surveys with the alerts from the ground-based gravitational wave detectors. The observational properties of these kilonovae depend on the physical processes involved in the merging processes and the equation of state (EOS) of neutron stars (NSs). In this paper, we investigate the dependence of kilonova luminosities on the parameters of BNS mergers, and estimate the distribution functions of kilonova peak luminosities (KLFs) at the u, g, r, i, y, and z bands as well as its dependence on the NS EOS, by adopting a comprehensive semi-analytical model for kilonovae (calibrated by the observations of GW170817), a population synthesis model for the cosmic BNSs, and the ejecta properties of BNS mergers predicted by numerical simulations. We find that the kilonova light curves depend on both the BNS properties and the NS EOS, and the KLFs at the considered bands are bimodal with the bright components mostly contributed by BNS mergers with total mass $\lesssim 3.2\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$/$2.8\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ and fainter components mostly contributed by BNS mergers with total mass $\gtrsim 3.2\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$/$2.8\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ by assuming a stiff/soft (DD2/SLy) EOS. The emission of the kilonovae in the KLF bright components is mostly due to the radiation from the wind ejecta by the remnant discs of BNS mergers, while the emission of the kilonovae in the KLF faint components is mostly due to the radiation from the dynamical ejecta by the BNS mergers.

Shortcut in codimension-2 brane cosmology in light of GW170817

In this paper, our universe is regarded as a codimension-2 brane embedded in a noncompact six-dimensional Anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetime. We derive the gravitational horizon radius on the brane under the low-energy approximation, which reflects how the extra dimensions cause the shortcut effect of gravitational waves (GWs). We also study the time delay between a GW signal and an electromagnetic (EM) wave signal in the low-redshift limit by combining with the joint observations of GW170817 and GRB 170817A, which gives an upper limit to the text {AdS}_{6} radius as ell ^{2}_{~} lesssim 3.84,text {Mpc}^{2}_{~}. For a high-redshift source, the time delay is converted into the discrepancy between the source redshift derived from the GW signal and the one derived from the EM counterpart. It is found that if one expects to detect the EM counterpart of a high-redshift GW event within a reasonable observation time, it requires a stronger constraint on the text {AdS}_{6} radius. Our research shows that the text {AdS}_{6} radius should satisfy ell ^{2}_{~}lesssim 0.02,text {Mpc}^{2}_{~} for the DECIGO and BBO.

The Collimation of Relativistic Jets in Post–Neutron Star Binary Merger Simulations

The gravitational waves from the binary neutron star merger GW170817 were accompanied by a multiwavelength electromagnetic counterpart, which confirms the association of the merger with a short gamma-ray burst (sGRB). The afterglow observations implied that the event was accompanied by a narrow, ∼5°, and powerful, ∼1050 erg, jet. We study the propagation of a Poynting flux–dominated jet within the merger ejecta (kinematic, neutrino-driven, and magnetorotational instability turbulence-driven) of a neutrino-radiation-GRMHD simulation of two coalescing neutron stars. We find that the presence of a postmerger low-density/low-pressure polar cavity, which arose due to angular momentum conservation, is crucial to let the jet break out. At the same time the ejecta collimates the jet to a narrow opening angle. The collimated jet has a narrow opening angle of ∼4°–7° and an energy of 1049–1050 erg, in line with the observations of GW170817 and other sGRBs.

Study of nonstrange quark stars within a modified NJL model

In this work, a modified Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model with proper-time regularization is employed to study the properties of hypothetical nonstrange quark stars. The coupling constant of the four-fermion interaction in the conventional NJL model is modified as $G={G}_{1}+{G}_{2}⟨\overline{\ensuremath{\psi}}\ensuremath{\psi}⟩$ to highlight the feedback of the quark propagator to the gluon propagator. To study the dependence of the equation of state (EOS) on this modification as well as the vacuum pressure, we choose nine representative EOSs for comparison. It is found that a smaller ${G}_{1}$ leads to a stiffer EOS, and a higher vacuum pressure (i.e., a smaller bag constant) yields a softer EOS at low energy density. It is further shown that the heaviest quark star under this modified NJL model satisfies not only the recent mass measurement of PSR $\mathrm{J}0740+6620$, but also the radius constraints from x-ray timing observations. The corresponding tidal deformability is also in agreement with the observations of GW170817.

A global test of jet structure and delay time distribution of short-duration gamma-ray bursts

ABSTRACTThe multimessenger joint observations of GW170817 and GRB170817A shed new light on the study of short-duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). Not only did it substantiate the assumption that SGRBs originate from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers, but it also confirms that the jet generated by this type of merger must be structured, hence the observed energy of an SGRB depends on the viewing angle from the observer. However, the precise structure of the jet is still subject to debate. Moreover, whether a single unified jet model can be applied to all SGRBs is not known. Another uncertainty is the delay time-scale of BNS mergers with respect to star-formation history of the Universe. In this paper, we conduct a global test of both delay and jet models of BNS mergers across a wide parameter space with simulated SGRBs. We compare the simulated peak flux, redshift, and luminosity distributions with the observed ones and test the goodness-of-fit for a set of models and parameter combinations. Our simulations suggest that GW170817/GRB 170817A and all SGRBs can be understood within the framework of a universal structured jet viewed at different viewing angles. Furthermore, model invoking a jet plus cocoon structure with a lognormal delay time-scale is most favoured. Some other combinations (e.g. a Gaussian delay with a power-law jet model) are also acceptable. However, the Gaussian delay with Gaussian jet model and the entire set of power-law delay models are disfavoured.

Radio Constraints on r-process Nucleosynthesis by Collapsars

The heaviest elements in the universe are synthesized through rapid neutron capture (r-process) in extremely neutron-rich outflows. Neutron star mergers were established as an important r-process source through the multimessenger observation of GW170817. Collapsars were also proposed as a potentially major source of heavy elements; however, this is difficult to probe through optical observations due to contamination by other emission mechanisms. Here we present observational constraints on r-process nucleosynthesis by collapsars based on radio follow-up observations of nearby long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We make the hypothesis that late-time radio emission arises from the collapsar wind ejecta responsible for forging r-process elements, and consider the constraints that can be set on this scenario using radio observations of a sample of Swift/Burst Alert Telescope GRBs located within 2 Gpc. No radio counterpart was identified in excess of the radio afterglow of the GRBs in our sample. This gives the strictest limit to the collapsar r-process contribution of ≲0.2 M ⊙ for GRB 060505 and GRB 05826, under the models we considered. Our results additionally constrain energy injection by a long-lived neutron star remnant in some of the considered GRBs. While our results are in tension with collapsars being the majority of r-process production sites, the ejecta mass and velocity profile of collapsar winds, and the emission parameters, are not yet well modeled. As such, our results are currently subject to large uncertainties, but further theoretical work could greatly improve them.

Hubble Space Telescope Observations of GW170817: Complete Light Curves and the Properties of the Galaxy Merger of NGC 4993

Abstract We present the complete set of Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 and its optical counterpart AT 2017gfo. Including deep template imaging in F814W, F110W, F140W, and F160W at 3.4 yr post-merger, we reanalyze the full light curve of AT 2017gfo across 12 bands from 5 to 1273 rest-frame days after merger. We obtain four new detections of the short γ-ray burst 170817A afterglow from 109 to 170 rest-frame days post-merger. These detections are consistent with the previously observed β = −0.6 spectral index in the afterglow light curve with no evidence for spectral evolution. We also analyze our limits in the context of kilonova afterglow or IR dust echo emission but find that our limits are not constraining for these models. We use the new data to construct deep optical and IR stacks, reaching limits of M = −6.3 to −4.6 mag, to analyze the local environment around AT 2017gfo and low surface brightness features in its host galaxy NGC 4993. We rule out the presence of any globular cluster at the position of AT 2017gfo to 2.3 × 104 L ⊙, including those with the reddest V − H colors. Finally, we analyze the substructure of NGC 4993 in deep residual imaging and find shell features that extend up to 71.″8 (14.2 kpc) from NGC 4993. The shells have a cumulative stellar mass of 6.3 × 108 M ⊙, roughly 2% of NGC 4993, and mass-weighted ages of >3 Gyr. We conclude that it was unlikely that the GW170817 progenitor system formed in the galaxy merger.

The Gravitational-wave physics II: Progress

It has been a half-decade since the first direct detection of gravitational waves, which signifies the coming of the era of the gravitational-wave astronomy and gravitational-wave cosmology. The increasing number of the detected gravitational-wave events has revealed the promising capability of constraining various aspects of cosmology, astronomy, and gravity. Due to the limited space in this review article, we will briefly summarize the recent progress over the past five years, but with a special focus on some of our own work for the Key Project ``Physics associated with the gravitational waves'' supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. In particular, (1) we have presented the mechanism of the gravitational-wave production during some physical processes of the early Universe, such as inflation, preheating and phase transition, and the cosmological implications of gravitational-wave measurements; (2) we have put constraints on the neutron star maximum mass according to GW170817 observations; (3) we have developed a numerical relativity algorithm based on the finite element method and a waveform model for the binary black hole coalescence along an eccentric orbit.

Continued Radio Observations of GW170817 3.5 yr Post-merger

Abstract We present new radio observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 carried out with the Karl G. Jansky Very large Array (VLA) more than 3 yr after the merger. Our combined data set is derived by coadding more than ≈32 hr of VLA time on-source, and as such provides the deepest combined observation (rms sensitivity ≈0.99 μJy) of the GW170817 field obtained to date at 3 GHz. We find no evidence for a late-time radio rebrightening at a mean epoch of t ≈ 1200 days since merger, in contrast to a ≈2.1σ excess observed at X-ray wavelengths at the same mean epoch. Our measurements agree with expectations from the post-peak decay of the radio afterglow of the GW170817 structured jet. Using these results, we constrain the parameter space of models that predict a late-time radio rebrightening possibly arising from the high-velocity tail of the GW170817 kilonova ejecta, which would dominate the radio and X-ray emission years after the merger (once the structured jet afterglow fades below detection level). Our results point to a steep energy-speed distribution of the kilonova ejecta (with energy-velocity power-law index α ≳ 5). We suggest possible implications of our radio analysis, when combined with the recent tentative evidence for a late-time rebrightening in the X-rays, and highlight the need for continued radio-to-X-ray monitoring to test different scenarios.

Cosmological model selection from standard siren detections by third-generation gravitational wave observatories

The multi-messenger observation of GW170817 enabled the first historic measurement of the Hubble constant via a standard siren , so-called in analogy to standard candles that enabled the measurement of the luminosity distance versus redshift relationship at small redshift. In the next decades, third-generation observatories are expected to detect hundreds to thousand of gravitational wave events from compact binary coalescences with potentially a joint electromagnetic counterpart. In the present work, we show how future standard siren detections can be used within the framework of Bayesian model selection to discriminate between cosmological models differing by the parameterization of the late-time acceleration. In particular, we found quantitative conditions for the standard Λ CDM model to be favored with respect to other models with varying dark energy content, by reducing the uncertainty in the gravitational determination of the luminosity distance with respect to current expectations.

Axisymmetric Radiative Transfer Models of Kilonovae

Abstract The detailed observations of GW170817 proved for the first time directly that neutron star mergers are a major production site of heavy elements. The observations could be fit by a number of simulations that qualitatively agree, but can quantitatively differ (e.g., in total r-process mass) by an order of magnitude. We categorize kilonova ejecta into several typical morphologies motivated by numerical simulations, and apply a radiative transfer Monte Carlo code to study how the geometric distribution of the ejecta shapes the emitted radiation. We find major impacts on both spectra and light curves. The peak bolometric luminosity can vary by two orders of magnitude and the timing of its peak by a factor of five. These findings provide the crucial implication that the ejecta masses inferred from observations around the peak brightness are uncertain by at least an order of magnitude. Mixed two-component models with lanthanide-rich ejecta are particularly sensitive to geometric distribution. A subset of mixed models shows very strong viewing angle dependence due to lanthanide “curtaining,” which persists even if the relative mass of lanthanide-rich component is small. The angular dependence is weak in the rest of our models, but different geometric combinations of the two components lead to a highly diverse set of light curves. We identify geometry-dependent P Cygni features in late spectra that directly map out strong lines in the simulated opacity of neodymium, which can help to constrain the ejecta geometry and to directly probe the r-process abundances.

Theoretical and observational constraints on regularized 4D Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

Regularized Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet (EGB) theory of gravity in four dimensions is a new attempt to include nontrivial contributions of Gauss-Bonnet term. In this paper, we make a detailed analysis on possible constraints of the model parameters of the theory from recent cosmological observations, and some theoretical constraints as well. Our results show that the theory with vanishing bare cosmological constant, $\Lambda_0$, is ruled out by the current observational value of $w_{de}$, and the observations of GW170817 and GRB 170817A as well. For nonvanishing bare cosmological constant, instead, our results show that the current observation of the speed of GWs measured by GW170817 and GRB 170817A would place a constraints on $\tilde{\alpha}$, a dimensionless parameter of the theory, as $-7.78\times10^{-16}\le \tilde{\alpha} \leq 3.33\times10^{-15}$.

Short Duration Gamma-Ray Bursts and Their Outflows in Light of GW170817

The detection of GW170817, it's extensive multi-wavelength follow-up campaign, and the large amount of theoretical development and interpretation that followed, have resulted in a significant step forward in the understanding of the binary neutron star merger phenomenon as a whole. One of its aspects is seeing the merger as a progenitor of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRB), which will be the subject of this review. On the one hand, GW170817 observations have confirmed some theoretical expectations, exemplified by the confirmation that binary neutron star mergers are the progenitors of SGRBs. In addition, the multimessenger nature of GW170817 has allowed for gathering of unprecedented data, such as the trigger time of the merger, the delay with which the gamma-ray photons were detected, and the brightening afterglow of an off-axis event. All together, the incomparable richness of the data from GW170817 has allowed us to paint a fairly detailed picture of at least one SGRB. I will detail what we learned, what new questions have arisen, and the perspectives for answering them when a sample of GW170817-comparable events have been studied.

The Jet Structure and the Intrinsic Luminosity Function of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract The joint observation of GW170817 and GRB 170817A indicated that short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) can originate from binary neutron star mergers. Moreover, some SGRBs could be detected off axis, while the SGRB jets are highly structured. Then, by assuming a universal angular distribution of the jet emission for all SGRBs, we reproduce the flux and redshift distributions of the cosmological SGRBs detected by Swift and Fermi. For self-consistency, this angular distribution is simultaneously constrained by the luminosity and event rate of GRB 170817A. As a result, it is found that the universal jet structure of SGRBs could approximately have a two-Gaussian profile. Meanwhile, the intrinsic luminosity function (LF) of the on-axis emission of the jets can be simply described by a single power law with a low-luminosity exponential cutoff. The usually discovered broken-power-law apparent LF for relatively high luminosities can naturally result from the coupling of the intrinsic LF with the angular distribution of the jet emission, as the viewing angles to the SGRBs are arbitrarily distributed.

Can we constrain the aftermath of binary neutron star mergers with short gamma-ray bursts?

ABSTRACT The joint observation of GW170817 and GRB170817A proved that binary neutron star (BNS) mergers are progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs): this established a direct link between the still unsettled SGRB central engine and the outcome of BNS mergers, whose nature depends on the equation of state (EOS) and on the masses of the NSs. We propose a novel method to probe the central engine of SGRBs based on this link. We produce an extended catalogue of BNS mergers by combining recent theoretically predicted BNS merger rate as a function of redshift and the NS mass distribution inferred from measurements of Galactic BNSs. We use this catalogue to predict the number of BNS systems ending as magnetars (stable or supramassive NS) or BHs (formed promptly or after the collapse of a hypermassive NS) for different EOSs, and we compare these outcomes with the observed rate of SGRBs. Despite the uncertainties mainly related to the poor knowledge of the SGRB jet structure, we find that for most EOSs the rate of magnetars produced after BNS mergers is sufficient to power all the SGRBs, while scenarios with only BHs as possible central engine seem to be disfavoured.