Dr. Nikhil Sarin, Stockholm, Observational implications of merging neutron star binaries

Nikhil Sarin, Nordita, Stockholm

Observational implications of merging neutron star binaries

Two neutron stars merge somewhere in the Universe approximately every 10 to 1000 seconds, creating violent explosions potentially observable in gravitational waves and across the electromagnetic spectrum. The transformative coincident gravitational wave and electromagnetic observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 gave invaluable insights into these cataclysmic collisions and fundamental astrophysics. However, despite our high expectations, we have failed to see any other event like it. In this talk, I will highlight what we learned from the multi-messenger observations of GW170817 and describe the diversity in electromagnetic and gravitational-wave emission we can expect for future mergers. I will also describe more recent observations of gamma-ray bursts and kilonovae and what insights and challenges they provide for our current understanding of the formation/deaths/afterlives of neutron star binaries. I will also look to the future, and discuss what we can learn by maximising the value of different messengers in the gravitational-wave multi-messenger era.

This talk is not part of the seminar on astrophysics.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://uni-hamburg.zoom.us/j/61583133402?pwd=VlRrV2poOXI5dkVRR0szVlZMbStMZz09

Meeting ID: 615 8313 3402

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