Using the resultant profiles from 3D hydrodynamic simulations of relativistic jets interacting with neutron star merger wind ejecta, we show how the inhomogeneity of energy and velocity {across the jet surface profile} can alter the observed afterglow lightcurve. We find that the peak afterglow flux depends sensitively on the observer's line-of-sight, not only via the jet inclination but also through the jet rotation: for an observer viewing the afterglow within the GRB-bright jet core, we find a peak flux variability on the order $<0.5$ dex through rotational orientation and $<1.3$ dex for the polar inclination. An observed afterglow's peak flux can be used to infer the jet kinetic energy, and where a top-hat jet is assumed, we find the range of inferred jet kinetic energies for our various model afterglow lightcurves (with fixed model parameters), covers $\sim 1/3$ of the observed short GRB population. Additionally, we present an analytic jet structure function that includes physically motivated parameter uncertainties due to variability through the rotation of the source. % An approximation for the change in collimation due to the merger ejecta mass is included and we show that by considering the observed range of merger ejecta masses from short GRB kilonova candidates, a population of merger jets with a fixed intrinsic jet energy is capable of explaining the observed broad diversity seen in short GRB afterglows.
We show the peak magnitude for orphan afterglows from the jets of gravitational wave (GW) detected black-hole/neutron star - neutron star (BH/NS-NS) mergers highly depends on the jet half-opening angle $θ_j$. Short $γ$-ray bursts (GRB) with a homogeneous jet structure and $θ_j>10^\circ$, the orphan afterglow viewed at the typical inclination for a GW detected event, 38$^\circ$, is brighter at optical frequencies than the comparable macronova emission. Structured jets, where the energetics and Lorentz factor $Γ$ vary with angle from the central axis, may have low-$Γ$ components where the prompt…
The observations of GW170817/GRB170817A have confirmed that the coalescence of a neutron-star binary is the progenitor of a short gamma-ray burst. In the standard picture of a short gamma-ray burst, a collimated highly relativistic outflow is launched after merger and it successfully breaks out from the surrounding ejected matter. Using initial conditions inspired from numerical-relativity binary neutron-star merger simulations, we have performed general-relativistic hydrodynamic (HD) and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations in which the jet is launched and propagates self-consistently. The c…
The most popular model for short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) involves the coalescence of binary neutron stars. Because the progenitor is actually hidden from view, we must consider under which circumstances such merging systems are capable of producing a successful sGRB. Soon after coalescence, winds are launched from the merger remnant. In this paper, we use realistic wind profiles derived from global merger simulations in order to investigate the interaction of sGRB jets with these winds using numerical simulations. We analyze the conditions for which these axisymmetric winds permit relativisti…
Short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are believed to be produced by relativistic jets from mergers of neutron-stars (NS) or neutron-stars and black-holes (BH). If the Lorentz-factors $Γ$ of jets from compact-stellar-mergers follow a similar power-law distribution to those observed for other high-energy astrophysical phenomena (e.g. blazars, AGN), the population of jets would be dominated by low-$Γ$ outflows. These jets will not produce the prompt gamma-rays, but jet energy will be released as x-ray/optical/radio transients when they collide with the ambient medium. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we s…
Very long base interferometry (VLBI) radio images recently proved to be essential in breaking the degeneracy in the ejecta model for the neutron star merger GW170817. We discuss the properties of synthetic radio images of merger jet afterglows by using semi-analytic models of laterally spreading or non-spreading jets. The image centroid initially moves away from the explosion point in the sky with apparent superlumianal velocity. After reaching a maximum displacement its motion is reversed. This behavior is in line with that found in full hydrodynamics simulations. We show that the evolution o…
Short gamma-ray bursts are believed to be produced by both binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star-black hole (NSBH) mergers. We use current estimates for the BNS and NSBH merger rates to calculate the fraction of observable short gamma-ray bursts produced through each channel. This allows us to constrain merger rates of BNS to $\mathcal{R}_{\rm{BNS}}=384^{+431}_{-213}{\rm{Gpc}^{-3} \rm{yr}^{-1}}$ ($90\%$ credible interval), a $16\%$ decrease in the rate uncertainties from the second LIGO--Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog, GWTC-2. Assuming a top-hat emission profile with a large L…
Compact binary mergers, with neutron stars or neutron star and black-hole components, are thought to produce various electromagnetic counterparts: short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from ultra-relativistic jets followed by broadband afterglow; semi-isotropic kilonova from radioactive decay of r-process elements; and late time radio flares; etc. If the jets from such mergers follow a similar power-law distribution of Lorentz factors as other astrophysical jets then the population of merger jets will be dominated by low-Γ values. The prompt gamma-rays associated with short GRBs would be suppressed fo…
Inspiraling and merging binary neutron stars are not only important source of gravitational waves, but also promising candidates for coincident electromagnetic counterparts. These systems are thought to be progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs). We have shown previously that binary neutron star mergers that undergo {\it delayed} collapse to a black hole surrounded by a {\it weighty} magnetized accretion disk can drive magnetically-powered jets. We now perform magnetohydrodynamic simulations in full general relativity of binary neutron stars mergers that undergo {\it prompt} collapse to …
We simulate the influence of the energy that the merger process of two neutron stars (NSs) releases inside a red supergiant (RSG) star on the RSG envelope inner to the merger location. In the triple star common envelope evolution (CEE) that we consider a tight binary system of two NSs spirals-in inside an RSG envelope and because of mass accretion and dynamical friction the two NS merge. We deposit merger-explosion energies of 3e50 and 1e51 erg at distances of 25Ro and 50Ro from the center of the RSG, and with the three-dimensional hydrodynamical code FLASH we follow the evolution of the RSG e…
As a powerful source of gravitational waves (GW), a supermassive black hole (SMBH) merger may be accompanied by a relativistic jet that leads to detectable electromagnetic (EM) emission. We model the propagation of post-merger jets inside a pre-merger circumnuclear environment formed by disk winds, and calculate multi-wavelength EM spectra from the forward shock region. We show that the non-thermal EM signals from SMBH mergers are detectable up to the detection horizon of future GW facilities such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Calculations based on our model predict slowly …
The recent multi-messenger discovery of binary neutron star (BNS) merger GW170817 showed that $γ$-ray emission in short GRBs is wider than the central energetic narrow cone, and weakly expands out to tens of degrees. Here we explore some of the observational consequences of this structured emission, taking the reconstructed angular emission profile of gamma-ray burst GRB170817A to be typical. We calculate the expected fraction of gravitational-wave observations from BNS mergers that will have an observed GRB counterpart to be $\sim30\%$, implying that joint gravitational-wave and GRB observati…
Neutron stars (NSs) are extraordinary not only because they are the densest form of matter in the visible Universe but also because they can generate B-fields ten orders of magnitude larger than those currently constructed on Earth. The combination of extreme gravity with the enormous electromagnetic (EM) fields gives rise to spectacular phenomena like those observed on August 2017 with the merger of a binary neutron star (NSNS) system, an event that generated a gravitational wave (GW) signal, a short $γ$-ray burst (sGRB), and a kilonova. This event serves as the highlight so far of the era of…
We have performed magnetohydrodynamic simulations in general relativity of binary neutron star and binary black hole-neutron star mergers, as well as the magnetorotational collapse of supermassive stars. In many cases the outcome is a spinnng black hole (BH) immersed in a magnetized disk, with a jet emanating from the poles of the BH. While their formation scenarios differ and their BH masses, as well as their disk masses, densities, and magnetic field strengths, vary by orders of magnitude, these features conspire to generate jet Poynting luminosities that all lie in the same, narrow range of…
Considerable asymmetries in jets from active galactic nuclei (AGN) and associated double radio sources can be caused by an inhomogeneous interstellar medium of the host galaxy. These asymmetries can easily be estimated by 1D propagation models, but hydrodynamical simulations have shown that the actual asymmetries can be considerably larger. With a set of smaller-scale hydrodynamical simulations we examine these asymmetries, and find they are typically a factor of $\sim 3$ larger than in 1D models. We conclude that, at high redshift, large asymmetries in radio sources are expected in gas-rich g…
GW170817 was the first ever joint detection of gravitational waves (GW) from a binary neutron star (BNS) merger with the detections of short $γ$-ray burst (SGRB) counterparts. Analysis of the multi-band afterglow observations of over more than a year revealed that the outflow from the merger end-product was consistent with structured relativistic jet models with the core of the jet narrowly collimated to half opening angles $\sim5$ deg. In this work, assuming all the BNS mergers produce Gaussian structured jets with properties as inferred for GW170817, we explore the prospects of joint detecti…
Orphan afterglows from short $γ$-ray bursts (GRB) are potential candidates for electromagnetic (EM) counterpart searches to gravitational wave (GW) detected neutron star or neutron star black hole mergers. Various jet dynamical and structure models have been proposed that can be tested by the detection of a large sample of GW-EM counterparts. We make predictions for the expected rate of optical transients from these jet models for future survey telescopes, without a GW or GRB trigger. A sample of merger jets is generated in the redshift limits $0\leq z\leq 3.0$, and the expected peak $r$-band …
Conceptually reconstructing the physical conditions in relativistic jets, given the observed electromagnetic spectrum, poses a complex inverse problem. We aim to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms operating in relativistic jets through the modeling of their broadband electromagnetic spectrum. We develop an inhomogeneous jet model where the injection of relativistic primary and secondary particles takes place in a spatially extended region. We calculate the contribution of all particles species to the jet emissivity due to several processes, and assess the effect of gamma-ray absor…
Jets can become collimated as they propagate through dense environments and understanding such interactions is crucial for linking physical models of the environments to observations. In this work, we use 3D special-relativistic simulations to study how jets propagate through the environment created around a neutron star merger remnant by neutrino-driven winds. We simulate four jets with two different initial structures, top-hat and Gaussian, and two luminosities. After jet breakout, we study the angular jet structures and the resulting afterglow light curves. We find that the initial angular …
The joint detection of gravitational waves (GWs) and $γ$-rays from a binary neutron-star (NS) merger provided a unique view of off-axis GRBs and an independent measurement of the NS merger rate. Comparing the observations of GRB170817 with those of the regular population of short GRBs (sGRBs), we show that an order unity fraction of NS mergers result in sGRB jets that breakout of the surrounding ejecta. We argue that the luminosity function of sGRBs, peaking at $\approx 2\times 10^{52}\, \mbox{erg s}^{-1}$, is likely an intrinsic property of the sGRB central engine and that sGRB jets are typic…
We present the first special relativistic, axisymmetric hydrodynamic simulations of black hole-torus systems (approximating general relativistic gravity) as remnants of binary-neutron star (NS-NS) and neutron star-black hole (NS-BH) mergers, in which the viscously driven evolution of the accretion torus is followed with self-consistent energy-dependent neutrino transport and the interaction with the cloud of dynamical ejecta expelled during the NS-NS merging is taken into account. The modeled torus masses, BH masses and spins, and the ejecta masses, velocities, and spatial distributions are ad…
Electromagnetic observations of the first binary Neutron Star (BNS) merger GW170817 has established that relativistic jets can be successfully launched in BNS mergers. Typically, such jets produce emission in two phases: $γ$-ray prompt emission and multi-wavelength afterglow. Due to relativistic de-boosting, the detectability of both these counterparts is dependent on the angle ($θ_v$) between the observer's line of sight and the jet axis. We compare the detectability of prompt and afterglow emission from off-axis jets, assuming standard detector thresholds. We find that for top-hat jets, afte…
Models invoking magnetic reconnection as the particle acceleration mechanism within relativistic jets often adopt a gradual energy dissipation profile within the jet. However, such a profile has yet to be reproduced in first-principles simulations. Here, we perform a suite of 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of post-neutron star merger disks with an initially purely toroidal magnetic field. We explore the variations in both the microphysics (e.g., nuclear recombination, neutrino emission) and system parameters (e.g., disk mass). In all our simulations, we find the format…
We present a comprehensive study on oscillation of high-energy neutrinos from two different environments: blue supergiant progenitors that may harbor low-power gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets and neutron star merger ejecta that would be associated with short gamma-ray bursts. We incorporate the radiation constraint that gives a necessary condition for nonthermal neutrino production, and account for the time evolution of the jet, which allows us to treat neutrino oscillation in matter more accurately. For massive star progenitors, neutrino injection inside the star can lead to nonadiabatic oscillati…
We study the acceleration, transport, and emission of particles in relativistic jets. Localized stochastic particle acceleration, spatial diffusion, and synchrotron as well as synchrotron self-Compton emission are considered in a leptonic model. To account for inhomogeneity, we use a 2D axi-symmetric cylindrical geometry for both relativistic electrons and magnetic field. In this first phase of our work, we focus on steady-state spectra that develop from a time-dependent model. We demonstrate that small isolated acceleration region in a much larger emission volume are sufficient to accelerate …
Short $γ$-ray burst (sGRB) jets form in the aftermath of a neutron star merger, drill through disk winds and dynamical ejecta, and extend over four to five orders of magnitude in distance before breaking out of the ejecta. We present the first 3D general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic sGRB simulations to span this enormous scale separation. They feature three possible outcomes: jet+cocoon, cocoon, and neither. Typical sGRB jets break out of the dynamical ejecta if (i) the bound ejecta's isotropic equivalent mass along the pole at the time of the BH formation is $ \lesssim10^{-4}~{\rm M_{\odo…
Neutron star mergers eject neutron-rich matter in which heavy elements are synthesised. The decay of these freshly synthesised elements powers electromagnetic transients ("macronovae" or "kilonovae") whose luminosity and colour strongly depend on their nuclear composition. If the ejecta are very neutron-rich (electron fraction $Y_\mathrm{e} < 0.25$), they contain fair amounts of lanthanides and actinides which have large opacities and therefore efficiently trap the radiation inside the ejecta so that the emission peaks in the red part of the spectrum. Even small amounts of this high-opacity ma…
Unlike mergers of two compact objects containing a neutron star (NS), binary black hole (BBH) mergers are not accompanied by the production of tidally disrupted material, and hence lack the most direct source of accretion to power a jet and generate electromagnetic (EM) radiation. However, following a tentative detection by the Fermi GBM of a $γ$-ray counterpart to GW150914, several alternative ideas were proposed for driving a jet and producing EM radiation. {\em If} such jets were in fact produced, they would however lack the bright cocoon emission that makes jets from binary NSs bright also…
We investigate optical, infrared, and radio active galactic nucleus (AGN) signs in the merger remnant Arp 187, which hosts luminous jets launched in the order of $10^5$ yr ago but whose present-day AGN activity is still unknown. We find AGN signs from the optical BPT diagram and infrared [OIV]25.89 $μ$m line, originating from the narrow line regions of AGN. On the other hand, Spitzer/IRS show the host galaxy dominated spectra, suggesting that the thermal emission from the AGN torus is considerably small or already diminished. Combining the black hole mass, the upper limit of radio luminosity o…
A relativistic jet has been produced in the single well-localised binary neutron star (BNS) merger detected to date in gravitational waves (GWs), and the local rates of BNS mergers and short gamma-ray bursts are of the same order of magnitude. This suggests that jet formation is not a rare outcome for BNS mergers, and we show that this intuition can be turned into a quantitative constraint: at least about $1/3$ of GW-detected BNS mergers, and at least about $1/5$ of all BNS mergers, should produce a successful jet (90\% credible level). Whether a jet is launched depends on the properties of th…
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology（罗斯-赫尔曼理工学院）；Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院喷气推进实验室）；Institute of Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院天文研究所）；Purdue University（普渡大学）
The association of GRB170817A with GW170817 has confirmed the long-standing hypothesis that binary neutron star (BNS) mergers are the progenitors of at least some short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). This connection has ushered in an era in which broadband observations of SGRBs, together with measurements of the time delay between the gravitational waves and the electromagnetic radiation, allow to probe the properties of the emitting outflow and its engine to an unprecedented detail. Since the structure of the radiating outflow is molded by the interaction of a relativistic jet with the binary ejec…
We investigate prolonged engine activities of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs), such as extended and/or plateau emissions, as high-energy gamma-ray counterparts to gravitational waves (GWs). Binary neutron-star mergers lead to relativistic jets and merger ejecta with $r$-process nucleosynthesis, which are observed as SGRBs and kilonovae/macronovae, respectively. Long-term relativistic jets may be launched by the merger remnant as hinted in X-ray light curves of some SGRBs. The prolonged jets may dissipate their kinetic energy within the radius of the cocoon formed by the jet-ejecta interaction. …
In 2017, LIGO-Virgo collaborations reported detection of the first neutron star merger event, GW170817, which is accompanied by electromagnetic counterparts from radio to gamma rays. Although high-energy neutrinos were not detected from this event, mergers of neutron stars are expected to produce such high-energy particles. Relativistic jets are launched when neutron stars merge. If the jets contain protons, they can emit high-energy neutrinos through photomeson production. In addition, neutron star mergers produce massive and fast ejecta, which can be a source of Galactic high-energy cosmic r…
The multimessenger event GW170817/GRB 170817A confirmed that binary neutron star (BNS) mergers can produce short gamma-ray burst (SGRB) jets. This evidence promoted new investigations on the mechanisms through which a BNS merger remnant can launch such a powerful relativistic outflow and on the propagation of the latter across the surrounding post-merger environment. In particular, great strides have been made in jet propagation models, establishing connections between the initial jet launching conditions, including the incipient jet launching time (with respect to merger) and the injection pa…
First Light of Neutron Star Mergers: Off-axis Cocoon Cooling X-ray Emission from Short Gamma-Ray Burst Jets
School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University（南京大学天文与空间科学学院）；Department of Astronomy and Theoretical Astrophysics Center, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校天文学与理论天体物理中心）
I explore a triple-star scenario where a tight neutron star (NS) - NS binary system enters the envelope of a red supergiant (RSG) star and spirals-in towards its core. The two NSs accrete mass through accretion disks and launch jets that power a very luminous and long transient event, a common envelope jets supernova (CEJSN) event. Dynamical friction brings the two NSs to merge either in the RSG envelope or core. The total energy of the event, radiation and kinetic, is >10^{52}erg. The light curve stays luminous for months to years and a signal of gravitational waves might be detected. The eje…
GW170817/GRB170817A has offered unprecedented insight into binary neutron star post-merger systems. Its Prompt and afterglow emission imply the presence of a tightly collimated relativistic jet with a smooth transverse structure. However, it remains unclear whether and how the central engine can produce such structured jets. Here, we utilize 3D GRMHD simulations starting with a black hole surrounded by a magnetized torus with properties typically expected of a post-merger system. We follow the jet, as it is self-consistently launched, from the scale of the compact object out to more than 3 ord…
The discovery of GRB 170817A, the first unambiguous off-axis short gamma-ray burst arising from a neutron star merger, has challenged our understanding of the angular structure of relativistic jets. Studies of the jet propagation usually assume that the jet is ejected from the central engine with a top-hat structure and its final structure, which determines the observed light curve and spectra, is primarily regulated by the interaction with the nearby environment. However, jets are expected to be produced with a structure that is more complex than a simple top-hat, as shown by global accretion…
Compact object mergers are promising candidates for the progenitor system of short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Using gravitational wave (GW) triggers to identify a merger, any electromagnetic (EM) counterparts from the jet can be used to constrain the dynamics and structure of short GRB jets. GW triggered searches could reveal a hidden population of optical transients associated with the short-lived jets from the merger object. If the population of merger-jets is dominated by low-Lorentz-factors, then a GW triggered search will reveal the on-axis orphan afterglows from these failed GRBs. By consi…
Black hole - neutron star (BHNS) and neutron star - neutron star (NSNS) binaries are among the favored candidates for the progenitors of the black hole - disk systems that may be the engines powering short-hard gamma ray bursts. After almost two decades of simulations of binary NSNSs and BHNSs in full general relativity we are now beginning to understand the ingredients that may be necessary for these systems to launch incipient jets. Here, we review our current understanding, and summarize the surprises and lessons learned from state-of-the-art (magnetohydrodynamic) simulations in full genera…
We study the stochastic variation of blazar emission under a 2-D spatially resolved leptonic jet model we previously developed. Random events of particle acceleration and injection in small zones within the emission region are assumed to be responsible for flux variations. In addition to producing spectral energy distributions that describe the observed flux of Mrk 421, we further analyze the timing properties of the simulated light curves, such as the power spectral density (PSD) at different bands, flux-flux correlations, as well as the cross-correlation function between X-rays and TeV γ-ray…
Neutron star mergers are unique laboratories of accretion, ejection, and r-process nucleosynthesis. We used 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations to study the role of the post-merger magnetic geometry in the evolution of merger remnant discs around stationary Kerr black holes. Our simulations fully capture mass accretion, ejection, and jet production, owing to their exceptionally long duration exceeding $4$ s. Poloidal post-merger magnetic field configurations produce jets with energies $E_\mathrm{jet} \sim (4{-}30)\times10^{50}$ erg, isotropic equivalent energies $E_\mathrm{…
The joint detection of GW~170817/GRB 170817 confirmed the long-standing theory that binary neutron star mergers produce short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) jets that can successfully break out of the surrounding ejecta. At the same time, the association with a kilonova provided unprecedented information regarding the physical properties (such as masses and velocities) of the different ejecta constituents. Combining this knowledge with the observed luminosities and durations of cosmological sGRBs detected by the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) onboard the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, we revisit the bre…
