Today: Wednesday, 24 April 2024 year

Science: When a neutron star and black hole collide in a crowd

Science: When a neutron star and black hole collide in a crowd

The astrophysicians from the Centre for Astronomy at the University of Heidelberg, Germany have revealed an interesting fact on black holes and their behaviour while the merger with a neutron star within a dense stellar environment.

As a modelling paper published in Communications Physics reports, the merging between a neutron star and black hole in the crowd not obligatory emit the electromagnetic radiation seen when the same process occurs in an isolated environment.

Such unexpected findings may provide useful insights into interpreting future observations of gravitational waves, Manuel Arca Sedda, an author, said. A merger within a dense environment might also exhibit two additional distinct signatures compared to an isolated merger.

The astronomer Arca Sedda used detailed simulations to model the formation of a neutron star – black hole merger. He then combined the simulations with observations of star clusters in the Milky Way and in the local Universe. The scientist understood that the system resulting from the merger of the two massive bodies within a dense environment may be different from a similar system formed in an isolated environment.

The N-body simulations could help in finding the astronomic merger’s nature

The detection of gravitational waves emitted during a neutron star – black hole merger can provide a wealth of information about stellar evolution, nuclear matter, and General Relativity.

Although the theoretical framework about neutron star – black hole mergers has been established, how these two bodies interact within a dense stellar environment during this process is unclear.

He found that mergers occurring in dense environments have larger total mass and heavier black holes, possibly not emitting radiation – or light – during or promptly after the merger.