Physics
Scientific paper
Apr 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008aps..apr.s8009o&link_type=abstract
American Physical Society, 2008 APS April Meeting and HEDP/HEDLA Meeting, April 11-15, 2008, abstract #S8.009
Physics
Scientific paper
Mergers of double neutron stars are considered the most likely progenitors for short gamma-ray bursts. Indeed such a merger can produce a black hole with a transient accreting torus of nuclear matter and the conversion of the torus mass-energy to radiation can power a gamma-ray burst. Using available binary pulsar observations supported by our extensive evolutionary calculations of double neutron star formation, we demonstrate that the fraction of mergers that can form a black hole -- torus system depends very sensitively on the (largely unknown) maximum neutron star mass. We show that the available observations and models put a very stringent constraint on this maximum mass under the assumption that a majority of short gamma-ray bursts originate in double neutron star mergers. Specifically, we find that the maximum neutron star mass must be within 2--2.5 Msun. Moreover, a single unambiguous measurement of a neutron star mass above 2.5 Msun would exclude double neutron star mergers as short gamma-ray burst progenitors.
Belczynski Kristof
Bulik Thomas
Kalogera Vassiliki
O'Saughnessy Richard
Rasio Fred
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