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Prompt Electromagnetic Transients from Binary Black Hole Mergers
Binary black hole (BBH) mergers provide a prime source for current and future
interferometric GW observatories. Massive BBH mergers may often take place in
plasma-rich environments, leading to the exciting possibility of a concurrent
electromagnetic (EM) signal observable by traditional astronomical facilities.
However, many critical questions about the generation of such counterparts
remain unanswered. We explore mechanisms that may drive EM counterparts with
magnetohydrodynamic simulations treating a range of scenarios involving
equal-mass black-hole binaries immersed in an initially homogeneous fluid with
uniform, orbitally aligned magnetic fields. We find that the time development
of Poynting luminosity, which may drive jet-like emissions, is relatively
insensitive to aspects of the initial configuration. In particular, over a
significant range of initial values, the central magnetic field strength is
effectively regulated by the gas flow to yield a Poynting luminosity of
, with BBH mass
scaled to and ambient density . We also calculate the
direct plasma synchrotron emissions processed through geodesic ray-tracing.
Despite lensing effects and dynamics, we find the observed synchrotron flux
varies little leading up to merger.Comment: 22 pages, 21 figures; additional reference + clarifying text added to
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