(ORDO NEWS) — The wobbles of binary neutron stars before their merger could have a big impact on the information scientists gather when recognizing gravitational waves.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have demonstrated how these unique fluctuations, caused by the interaction of the tidal fields of two stars as they approach each other, affect observations of gravitational waves.
Accounting for these fluctuations could be of great importance for our understanding of data from the advanced instruments LIGO and Virgo, whose task is to recognize gravitational waves – ripples in time and space – resulting from the merger of black holes and neutron stars.
The researchers set out to prepare a new model for the next round of Advanced LIGO observations. Even more advanced models will be developed for the next generation of advanced LIGO A+ instruments, with their first observation cycle scheduled to launch in 2025.
Ever since LIGO and Virgo scientists detected the first gravitational waves in 2016, their focus has been on deepening our knowledge of the massive collisions that produce these signals, in particular the physics of neutron stars with supernuclear densities.
Dr. Geraint Pratten of the Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy at the University of Birmingham is the lead author on the paper. He shares: “Now scientists have access to key information about neutron stars thanks to the latest data on gravitational waves.
Details such as the relationship between a star’s mass and its radius provide an extremely important insight into the fundamental physics behind neutron stars. If we do not take into account these data, our general understanding of the structure of a neutron star may turn out to be one-sided.
Dr. Patricia Schmidt, co-author of the paper and assistant professor at the Institute of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, added: “These clarifications are really meaningful. With single neutron stars, we can begin to understand what goes on deep inside the core of a star, where matter exists at temperatures and densities that we can’t get from ground-based experiments.
At this stage, we may be closer to understanding how atoms interact with each other in ways never before seen, potentially requiring new laws of physics.”
Additions developed by the team from Birmingham are included in the improved LIGO program. Researchers at the University of Gravitational Wave Astronomy have been actively involved in the design and development of detectors since the earliest stages of the program. Graduate student Natalie Williams is already working on calculations to further refine and calibrate new models in the future.
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