Double neutron stars: merger rates revisited

By M. Chruslinska, Krzysztof Belczyński, J. Klencki, M. Benacquista. 2017

155 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We revisit double neutron star (DNS) formation in the classical binary evolution scenario in light of the recent Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo DNS detection (GW170817). The observationally estimated Galactic DNS merger rate of $$R_{\rm MW} = 21^{+28}_{-14}$$ Myr^−1, based on three Galactic DNS systems, fully supports our standard input physics model with R_MW = 24 Myr^−1. This estimate for the Galaxy translates in a non-trivial way (due to cosmological evolution of progenitor stars in chemically evolving Universe) into a local (z ≈ 0) DNS merger rate density of R_local = 48 Gpc^−3 yr^−1, which is not consistent with the current LIGO/Virgo DNS merger rate estimate ($$1540^{+3200}_{-1220}$$ Gpc^−3 yr^−1). Within our study of the parameter space, we find solutions that allow for DNS merger rates as high as $$R_{\rm local} \approx 600^{+600}_{-300}$$ Gpc^−3 yr^−1 which are thus consistent with the LIGO/Virgo estimate. However, our corresponding BH–BH merger rates for the models with high DNS merger rates exceed the current LIGO/Virgo estimate of local BH–BH merger rate (12–213 Gpc^−3 yr^−1). Apart from being particularly sensitive to the common envelope treatment, DNS merger rates are rather robust against variations of several of the key factors probed in our study (e.g. mass transfer, angular momentum loss, and natal kicks). This might suggest that either common envelope development/survival works differently for DNS (∼10–20 M_⊙ stars) than for BH–BH (∼40–100 M_⊙ stars) progenitors, or high black hole (BH) natal kicks are needed to meet observational constraints for both types of binaries. Our conclusion is based on a limited number of (21) evolutionary models and is valid within this particular DNS and BH–BH isolated binary formation scenario.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ad944379b519065864451a1b2e31651219902418

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In Astronomy and Astrophysics

Citations in the corpus

Progenitors of gravitational wave mergers: binary evolution with the stellar grid-based code ComBinE (2018, methodology): “We note that also other recent binary population synthesis studies (Belczynski et al. 2017; Chruslinska et al. 2018) predict NS-NS merger rate densities much smaller than the empirical rate of R = 1540+3200−1220 yr −1 Gpc−3.”
Merging black holes in young star clusters (2019, background): “…& Vanbeveren 2014; Tauris et al. 2015, 2017; de Mink & Belczynski 2015; de Mink & Mandel 2016; Marchant et al. 2016; Belczynski et al. 2016a; Chruslinska et al. 2018; Mapelli et al. 2017; Giacobbo et al. 2018; Giacobbo & Mapelli 2018, 2019; Mapelli & Giacobbo 2018; Mapelli et al. 2018;…”
The progenitors of compact-object binaries: impact of metallicity, common envelope and natal kicks (2018, background): “Simulations of isolated and dynamically formed DNSs show that it is very difficult to match such a high rate, unless rather extreme assumptions about common envelope (e.g. Chruslinska et al. 2018) or natal kicks (e.g. Giacobbo & Mapelli 2018; Mapelli & Giacobbo 2018) are made.”