ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSIENTS POWERED BY NUCLEAR DECAY IN THE TIDAL TAILS OF COALESCING COMPACT BINARIES
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)
- Departments of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94270 (United States)
- Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 70-264, Cd. Universitaria, Mexico DF 04510 (Mexico)
We investigate the possibility that long tidal tails formed during compact object mergers may produce optical transients powered by the decay of freshly synthesized r-process material. Precise modeling of the merger dynamics allows for a realistic determination of the thermodynamic conditions in the ejected debris. We combine hydrodynamic and full nuclear network calculations to determine the resultant r-process abundances and the heating of the material by their decays. The subsequent homologous structure is mapped into a radiative transfer code to synthesize emergent model light curves and determine how their properties (variability and color evolution) depend on the mass ratio and orientation of the merging binary. The radiation emanating from the ejected debris, though less spectacular than a typical supernova, should be observable in transient surveys and we estimate the associated detection rates. We find that it is unlikely that photometry alone will be able to distinguish between different binary mass ratios and the nature of the compact objects, emphasizing the need for spectroscopic follow-up of these events. The case for (or against) compact object mergers as the progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts can be tested if such electromagnetic transients are detected (or not) in coincidence with some bursts, although they may be obscured by on-axis afterglows.
- OSTI ID:
- 21562518
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 736, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/736/1/L21; ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BINARY STARS
BLACK HOLES
COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS
HYDRODYNAMICS
NUCLEAR DECAY
R PROCESS
RADIANT HEAT TRANSFER
SIMULATION
TRANSIENTS
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ENERGY TRANSFER
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FLUID MECHANICS
HEAT TRANSFER
IONIZING RADIATIONS
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PRIMARY COSMIC RADIATION
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