TY - JOUR

T1 - Model comparison from LIGO─Virgo data on GW170817's binary components and consequences for the merger remnant

AU - LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration

AU - Pitkin, M.

PY - 2020/1/16

Y1 - 2020/1/16

N2 - GW170817 is the very first observation of gravitational waves originatingfrom the coalescence of two compact objects in the mass range of neutronstars, accompanied by electromagnetic counterparts, and offers an opportunityto directly probe the internal structure of neutron stars. We perform Bayesianmodel selection on a wide range of theoretical predictions for the neutronstar equation of state. For the binary neutron star hypothesis, we find that wecannot rule out the majority of theoretical models considered. In addition, thegravitational-wave data alone does not rule out the possibility that one or bothobjects were low-mass black holes. We discuss the possible outcomes in thecase of a binary neutron star merger, finding that all scenarios from promptcollapse to long-lived or even stable remnants are possible. For long-livedremnants, we place an upper limit of 1.9 kHz on the rotation rate. If a blackhole was formed any time after merger and the coalescing stars were slowlyrotating, then the maximum baryonic mass of non-rotating neutron stars is atmost 3.05 M, and three equations of state considered here can be ruled out.We obtain a tighter limit of 2.67 M for the case that the merger results in ahypermassive neutron star

AB - GW170817 is the very first observation of gravitational waves originatingfrom the coalescence of two compact objects in the mass range of neutronstars, accompanied by electromagnetic counterparts, and offers an opportunityto directly probe the internal structure of neutron stars. We perform Bayesianmodel selection on a wide range of theoretical predictions for the neutronstar equation of state. For the binary neutron star hypothesis, we find that wecannot rule out the majority of theoretical models considered. In addition, thegravitational-wave data alone does not rule out the possibility that one or bothobjects were low-mass black holes. We discuss the possible outcomes in thecase of a binary neutron star merger, finding that all scenarios from promptcollapse to long-lived or even stable remnants are possible. For long-livedremnants, we place an upper limit of 1.9 kHz on the rotation rate. If a blackhole was formed any time after merger and the coalescing stars were slowlyrotating, then the maximum baryonic mass of non-rotating neutron stars is atmost 3.05 M, and three equations of state considered here can be ruled out.We obtain a tighter limit of 2.67 M for the case that the merger results in ahypermassive neutron star

KW - neutron stars

KW - neutron star equation of state

KW - gravitational wave astronomy

KW - compact object mergers

U2 - 10.1088/1361-6382/ab5f7c

DO - 10.1088/1361-6382/ab5f7c

M3 - Journal article

VL - 37

JO - Classical and Quantum Gravity

JF - Classical and Quantum Gravity

SN - 0264-9381

IS - 4

M1 - 045006

ER -