Properties of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817

LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1115 Scopus citations

Abstract

On August 17, 2017, the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors observed a low-mass compact binary inspiral. The initial sky localization of the source of the gravitational-wave signal, GW170817, allowed electromagnetic observatories to identify NGC 4993 as the host galaxy. In this work, we improve initial estimates of the binary's properties, including component masses, spins, and tidal parameters, using the known source location, improved modeling, and recalibrated Virgo data. We extend the range of gravitational-wave frequencies considered down to 23 Hz, compared to 30 Hz in the initial analysis. We also compare results inferred using several signal models, which are more accurate and incorporate additional physical effects as compared to the initial analysis. We improve the localization of the gravitational-wave source to a 90% credible region of 16 deg2. We find tighter constraints on the masses, spins, and tidal parameters, and continue to find no evidence for nonzero component spins. The component masses are inferred to lie between 1.00 and 1.89 M when allowing for large component spins, and to lie between 1.16 and 1.60 M (with a total mass 2.73-0.01+0.04 M) when the spins are restricted to be within the range observed in Galactic binary neutron stars. Using a precessing model and allowing for large component spins, we constrain the dimensionless spins of the components to be less than 0.50 for the primary and 0.61 for the secondary. Under minimal assumptions about the nature of the compact objects, our constraints for the tidal deformability parameter Λ are (0,630) when we allow for large component spins, and 300-230+420 (using a 90% highest posterior density interval) when restricting the magnitude of the component spins, ruling out several equation-of-state models at the 90% credible level. Finally, with LIGO and GEO600 data, we use a Bayesian analysis to place upper limits on the amplitude and spectral energy density of a possible postmerger signal.

Original languageEnglish
Article number011001
JournalPhysical Review X
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Jan 2019
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Australian Research Council
ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research
Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovações e Comunicações
National Kidney Foundation of Iowa
National Research Foundation of Korea
Narodowe Centrum Nauki
Scottish Universities Physics Alliance
Scottish Funding Council
Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Leverhulme Trust
Science and Engineering Research Board
Paris Île-de-France Region
Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation
Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Kavli Foundation
Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal
European Commission
Russian Foundation for Basic Research
Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee
Russian Science Foundation
Industry Canada
Hungarian Scientific Research Fund
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Institut des Origines de Lyon
Royal Society
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Universitat de les Illes Balears
European Regional Development Fund
Generalitat Valenciana
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Not addedST/N005422/1, PPA/G/S/2002/00652, ST/N005406/2, Gravitational Waves, ST/K000845/1, ST/P000258/1, ST/H002006/1, ST/M005844/1, ST/I006269/1, ST/N000633/1, ST/N000668/1, ST/N000072/1, ST/J00166X/1, ST/N005430/1
National Science Foundation1707965, 1708081, 1921006, 1912632, 1806824, 1716394, 1700765, 1707835, 1726215, 1806461
Not added12227
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science18F18013, 18H03698

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