Berlin 2015 – scientific programme

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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 12: Gravitational Waves

GR 12.2: Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 17:30–17:50, H 2013

Prospects for Joint Gravitational-Wave and Electromagnetic Observations of Neutron-Star/Black-Hole Coalescing Binaries — •Frank Ohme and Francesco Pannarale — Cardiff University, United Kingdom

Coalescing neutron star black hole (NS-BH) binaries are a promising source of gravitational-wave (GW) signals detectable with large-scale laser interferometers such as Advanced LIGO and Virgo. These systems are also one of the main progenitor candidates for short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). Detecting an NS-BH coalescence both in the GW and the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum offers a wealth of information about the source. How much can actually be inferred from a joint detection is unclear, however, as the accuracy of the GW measurement can be reduced by the presence of a mass/spin degeneracy. In order to shed light on this problem, we combine recent semi-analytical predictions for the post-merger remnant disc mass with estimates of the parameter-space portion that is selected by a GW detection. By varying the model for the currently unknown NS equation of state (EOS), we identify cases in which an SGRB ignition is assured, others in which it can be excluded, and finally others in which the outcome depends on the EOS. We pinpoint a range of systems that would allow us to place lower bounds on the EOS stiffness if both the GW and EM emission are observed. The methods we develop can broaden the scope of existing GW detection and parameter-estimation algorithms, and they extend our understanding of the potential of joint EM+GW observations.