6533b85ffe1ef96bd12c2814
RESEARCH PRODUCT
GW170817, General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations, and the Neutron Star Maximum Mass
Antonios TsokarosStuart L. ShapiroMilton Ruizsubject
AstrofísicaStar (game theory)Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical PhenomenaFOS: Physical sciencesAstrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic AstrophysicsGeneral Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)01 natural sciencesGeneral Relativity and Quantum CosmologyArticleInterpretation (model theory)Causality (physics)Quantum mechanics0103 physical sciencesBeta (velocity)Limit (mathematics)Magnetohydrodynamic drive010303 astronomy & astrophysicsAstrophysics::Galaxy AstrophysicsMathematical physicsPhysicsHigh Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)010308 nuclear & particles physicsNeutron starAstronomiaMagnetohydrodynamicsAstrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomenadescription
Recent numerical simulations in general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) provide useful constraints for the interpretation of the GW170817 discovery. Combining the observed data with these simulations leads to a bound on the maximum mass of a cold, spherical neutron star (the TOV limit): ${M_{\rm max}^{\rm sph}}\lesssim 2.74/\beta$, where $\beta$ is the ratio of the maximum mass of a uniformly rotating neutron star (the supramassive limit) over the maximum mass of a nonrotating star. Causality arguments allow $\beta$ to be as high as $1.27$, while most realistic candidate equations of state predict $\beta$ to be closer to $1.2$, yielding ${M_{\rm max}^{\rm sph}}$ in the range $2.16-2.28 M_\odot$. A minimal set of assumptions based on these simulations distinguishes this analysis from previous ones, but leads to a similar estimate. There are caveats, however, and they are enumerated and discussed. The caveats can be removed by further simulations and analysis to firm up the basic argument.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-11-01 |