Linking the rates of neutron star binaries and short gamma-ray burstsShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Physical Review D: covering particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology, ISSN 2470-0010, E-ISSN 2470-0029, Vol. 105, no 8, article id 083004Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Short gamma-ray bursts are believed to be produced by both binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star-black hole (NSBH) mergers. We use current estimates for the BNS and NSBH merger rates to calculate the fraction of observable short gamma-ray bursts produced through each channel. This allows us to constrain merger rates of a BNS to R-BNS = 384(-213)(+431) Gpc(-3) yr(-1) (90% credible interval), a 16% decrease in the rate uncertainties from the second Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO)-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog. Assuming a top-hat emission profile with a large Lorentz factor, we constrain the average opening angle of gamma-ray burst jets produced in BNS mergers to approximate to 15 degrees. We also measure the fraction of BNS and NSBH mergers that produce an observable short gamma-ray burst to be 0.02(-0.01)(+0.02) and 0.01 +/- 0.01, respectively, and find that greater than or similar to 40% of BNS mergers launch jets (90% confidence). We forecast constraints for future gravitational-wave detections given different modeling assumptions, including the possibility that BNS and NSBH jets are different. With 24 BNS and 55 NSBH observations, expected within six months of the LIGO-Virgo-Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector network operating at design sensitivity, it will be possible to constrain the fraction of BNS and NSBH mergers that launch jets with 10% precision. Within a year of observations, we can determine whether the jets launched in NSBH mergers have a different structure than those launched in BNS mergers and rule out whether greater than or similar to 80% of binary neutron star mergers launch jets. We discuss the implications of future constraints on understanding the physics of short gamma-ray bursts and binary evolution.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Physical Society (APS) , 2022. Vol. 105, no 8, article id 083004
National Category
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-314880DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.105.083004ISI: 000807554100005Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85128753595OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-314880DiVA, id: diva2:1676877
Note
QC 20220627
2022-06-272022-06-272023-09-25Bibliographically approved