216 research outputs found
The Hubble Constant
I review the current state of determinations of the Hubble constant, which
gives the length scale of the Universe by relating the expansion velocity of
objects to their distance. There are two broad categories of measurements. The
first uses individual astrophysical objects which have some property that
allows their intrinsic luminosity or size to be determined, or allows the
determination of their distance by geometric means. The second category
comprises the use of all-sky cosmic microwave background, or correlations
between large samples of galaxies, to determine information about the geometry
of the Universe and hence the Hubble constant, typically in a combination with
other cosmological parameters. Many, but not all, object-based measurements
give values of around 72-74km/s/Mpc , with typical errors of 2-3km/s/Mpc.
This is in mild discrepancy with CMB-based measurements, in particular those
from the Planck satellite, which give values of 67-68km/s/Mpc and typical
errors of 1-2km/s/Mpc. The size of the remaining systematics indicate that
accuracy rather than precision is the remaining problem in a good determination
of the Hubble constant. Whether a discrepancy exists, and whether new physics
is needed to resolve it, depends on details of the systematics of the
object-based methods, and also on the assumptions about other cosmological
parameters and which datasets are combined in the case of the all-sky methods.Comment: Extensively revised and updated since the 2007 version: accepted by
Living Reviews in Relativity as a major (2014) update of LRR 10, 4, 200
Gravitational radiation from corotating binary neutron stars of incompressible fluid in the first post-Newtonian approximation of general relativity
We analytically study gravitational radiation from corotating binary neutron
stars composed of incompressible, homogeneous fluid in circular orbits. The
energy and the angular momentum loss rates are derived up to the first
post-Newtonian (1PN) order beyond the quadrupole approximation including
effects of the finite size of each star of binary. It is found that the leading
term of finite size effects in the 1PN order is only smaller than that in the Newtonian order, where means the ratio of the gravitational radius to the mean radius of
each star of binary, and the 1PN term acts to decrease the Newtonian finite
size effect in gravitational radiation.Comment: 26 pages, revtex, 9 figures(eps), accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev.
Computing the Complete Gravitational Wavetrain from Relativistic Binary Inspiral
We present a new method for generating the nonlinear gravitational wavetrain
from the late inspiral (pre-coalescence) phase of a binary neutron star system
by means of a numerical evolution calculation in full general relativity. In a
prototype calculation, we produce 214 wave cycles from corotating polytropes,
representing the final part of the inspiral phase prior to reaching the ISCO.
Our method is based on the inequality that the orbital decay timescale due to
gravitational radiation is much longer than an orbital period and the
approximation that gravitational radiation has little effect on the structure
of the stars. We employ quasi-equilibrium sequences of binaries in circular
orbit for the matter source in our field evolution code. We compute the
gravity-wave energy flux, and, from this, the inspiral rate, at a discrete set
of binary separations. From these data, we construct the gravitational waveform
as a continuous wavetrain. Finally, we discuss the limitations of our current
calculation, planned improvements, and potential applications of our method to
other inspiral scenarios.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
A new numerical method for constructing quasi-equilibrium sequences of irrotational binary neutron stars in general relativity
We propose a new numerical method to compute quasi-equilibrium sequences of
general relativistic irrotational binary neutron star systems. It is a good
approximation to assume that (1) the binary star system is irrotational, i.e.
the vorticity of the flow field inside component stars vanishes everywhere
(irrotational flow), and (2) the binary star system is in quasi-equilibrium,
for an inspiraling binary neutron star system just before the coalescence as a
result of gravitational wave emission. We can introduce the velocity potential
for such an irrotational flow field, which satisfies an elliptic partial
differential equation (PDE) with a Neumann type boundary condition at the
stellar surface. For a treatment of general relativistic gravity, we use the
Wilson--Mathews formulation, which assumes conformal flatness for spatial
components of metric. In this formulation, the basic equations are expressed by
a system of elliptic PDEs. We have developed a method to solve these PDEs with
appropriate boundary conditions. The method is based on the established
prescription for computing equilibrium states of rapidly rotating axisymmetric
neutron stars or Newtonian binary systems. We have checked the reliability of
our new code by comparing our results with those of other computations
available. We have also performed several convergence tests. By using this
code, we have obtained quasi-equilibrium sequences of irrotational binary star
systems with strong gravity as models for final states of real evolution of
binary neutron star systems just before coalescence. Analysis of our
quasi-equilibrium sequences of binary star systems shows that the systems may
not suffer from dynamical instability of the orbital motion and that the
maximum density does not increase as the binary separation decreases.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, more results of convergence tests are added,
revised version accepted for publication in PR
Computation of gravitational waves from inspiraling binary neutron stars in quasiequilibrium circular orbits : Formulation and calibration
Gravitational waves from binary neutron stars in quasiequilibrium circular
orbits are computed using an approximate method which we propose in this paper.
In the first step of this method, we prepare general relativistic irrotational
binary neutron stars in a quasiequilibrium circular orbit, neglecting
gravitational waves. We adopt the so-called conformal flatness approximation
for a three-metric to obtain the quasiequilibrium states in this paper. In the
second step, we compute gravitational waves, solving linear perturbation
equations in the background spacetime of the quasiequilibrium states. Comparing
numerical results with post Newtonian waveforms and luminosity of gravitational
waves from two point masses in circular orbits, we demonstrate that this method
can produce accurate waveforms and luminosity of gravitational waves. It is
shown that the effects of tidal deformation of neutron stars and strong general
relativistic gravity modify the post Newtonian results for compact binary
neutron stars in close orbits. We indicate that the magnitude of a systematic
error in quasiequilibrium states associated with the conformal flatness
approximation is fairly large for close and compact binary neutron stars.
Several formulations for improving the accuracy of quasiequilibrium states are
proposed.Comment: 26 pages, to be published in PR
TESS Shines Light on the Origin of the Ambiguous Nuclear Transient ASASSN-18el
We analyze high-cadence data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
(TESS) of the ambiguous nuclear transient (ANT) ASASSN-18el. The optical
changing-look phenomenon in ASASSN-18el has been argued to be due to either a
drastic change in the accretion rate of the existing active galactic nucleus
(AGN) or the result of a tidal disruption event (TDE). Throughout the TESS
observations, short-timescale stochastic variability is seen, consistent with
an AGN. We are able to fit the TESS light curve with a damped-random-walk (DRW)
model and recover a rest-frame variability amplitude of mJy and a rest-frame timescale of days.
We find that the estimated for ASASSN-18el is broadly consistent
with an apparent relationship between the DRW timescale and central
supermassive black hole mass. The large-amplitude stochastic variability of
ASASSN-18el, particularly during late stages of the flare, suggests that the
origin of this ANT is likely due to extreme AGN activity rather than a TDE.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures. Will be submitted to AAS journals. Comments
welcom
General Relativistic Models of Binary Neutron Stars in Quasiequilibrium
We perform fully relativistic calculations of binary neutron stars in
corotating, circular orbit. While Newtonian gravity allows for a strict
equilibrium, a relativistic binary system emits gravitational radiation,
causing the system to lose energy and slowly spiral inwards. However, since
inspiral occurs on a time scale much longer than the orbital period, we can
treat the binary to be in quasiequilibrium. In this approximation, we integrate
a subset of the Einstein equations coupled to the relativistic equation of
hydrostatic equilibrium to solve the initial value problem for binaries of
arbitrary separation. We adopt a polytropic equation of state to determine the
structure and maximum mass of neutron stars in close binaries for polytropic
indices n=1, 1.5 and 2. We construct sequences of constant rest-mass and locate
turning points along energy equilibrium curves to identify the onset of orbital
instability. In particular, we locate the innermost stable circular orbit
(ISCO) and its angular velocity. We construct the first contact binary systems
in full general relativity. These arise whenever the equation of state is
sufficiently soft >= 1.5. A radial stability analysis reveals no tendency for
neutron stars in close binaries to collapse to black holes prior to merger.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, RevTe
The contribution of microlensing surveys to the distance scale
In the early nineties several teams started large scale systematic surveys of
the Magellanic Clouds and the Galactic Bulge to search for microlensing
effects. As a by product, these groups have created enormous time-series
databases of photometric measurements of stars with a temporal sampling
duration and accuracy which are unprecedented. They provide the opportunity to
test the accuracy of primary distance indicators, such as Cepheids, RRLyrae
stars, the detached eclipsing binaries, or the luminosity of the red clump. We
will review the contribution of the microlensing surveys to the understanding
of the physics of the primary distance indicators, recent differential studies
and direct distance determinations to the Magellanic Clouds and the Galactic
Bulge.Comment: Invited review article to appear in: `Post-Hipparcos Cosmic Candles',
A. Heck & F. Caputo (Eds), Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, in press. 21
pages; uses Kluwer's crckapb.sty LaTeX style file, enclose
Radio Remnants of Compact Binary Mergers - the Electromagnetic Signal that will follow the Gravitational Waves
The question "what is the observable electromagnetic (EM) signature of a
compact binary merger?" is an intriguing one with crucial consequences to the
quest for gravitational waves (GW). Compact binary mergers are prime sources of
GW, targeted by current and next generation detectors. Numerical simulations
have demonstrated that these mergers eject energetic sub-relativistic (or even
relativistic) outflows. This is certainly the case if the mergers produce short
GRBs, but even if not, significant outflows are expected. The interaction of
such outflows with the surround matter inevitably leads to a long lasting radio
signal. We calculate the expected signal from these outflows (our calculations
are also applicable to short GRB orphan afterglows) and we discuss their
detectability. We show that the optimal search for such signal should,
conveniently, take place around 1.4 GHz. Realistic estimates of the outflow
parameters yield signals of a few hundred Jy, lasting a few weeks, from
sources at the detection horizon of advanced GW detectors. Followup radio
observations, triggered by GW detection, could reveal the radio remnant even
under unfavorable conditions. Upcoming all sky surveys can detect a few dozen,
and possibly even thousands, merger remnants at any give time, thereby
providing robust merger rate estimates even before the advanced GW detectors
become operational. In fact, the radio transient RT 19870422 fits well the
overall properties predicted by our model and we suggest that its most probable
origin is a compact binary merger radio remnant
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