Identifying a first-order phase transition in neutron star mergers through gravitational waves
Résumé
We identify an observable imprint of a first-order hadron-quark phase transition at supranuclear densities on the gravitational-wave (GW) emission of neutron-star mergers. Specifically, we show that the dominant postmerger GW frequency fpeak may exhibit a significant deviation from an empirical relation between fpeak and the tidal deformability if a strong first-order phase transition leads to the formation of a gravitationally stable extended quark matter core in the postmerger remnant. A comparison of the GW signatures from a large, representative sample of microphysical, purely hadronic equations of state indicates that this imprint is only observed in those systems which undergo a strong first-order phase transition. Such a shift of the dominant postmerger GW frequency can be revealed by future GW observations, which would provide evidence for the existence of a strong first-order phase transition in the interior of neutron-stars.
Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
---|