Neutron Star Mergers and How to Study Them. (arXiv:1909.06085v4 [astro-ph.HE] UPDATED)
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Burns_E/0/1/0/all/0/1">Eric Burns</a>
Neutron star mergers are the canonical multimessenger events: they have been
observed through photons for half a century, gravitational waves since 2017,
and are likely to be sources of neutrinos and cosmic rays. Studies of these
events enable unique insights into astrophysics, particles in the
ultrarelativistic regime, the heavy element enrichment history through cosmic
time, cosmology, dense matter, and fundamental physics. Uncovering this science
requires vast observational resources, unparalleled coordination, and
advancements in theory and simulation, which are constrained by our current
understanding of nuclear, atomic, and astroparticle physics. This review begins
with a summary of our current knowledge of these events, the expected
observational signatures, and estimated detection rates for the next decade. I
then present the key observations necessary to advance our understanding of
these sources, followed by the broad science this enables. I close with a
discussion on the necessary future capabilities to fully utilize these
enigmatic sources to understand our universe.
Neutron star mergers are the canonical multimessenger events: they have been
observed through photons for half a century, gravitational waves since 2017,
and are likely to be sources of neutrinos and cosmic rays. Studies of these
events enable unique insights into astrophysics, particles in the
ultrarelativistic regime, the heavy element enrichment history through cosmic
time, cosmology, dense matter, and fundamental physics. Uncovering this science
requires vast observational resources, unparalleled coordination, and
advancements in theory and simulation, which are constrained by our current
understanding of nuclear, atomic, and astroparticle physics. This review begins
with a summary of our current knowledge of these events, the expected
observational signatures, and estimated detection rates for the next decade. I
then present the key observations necessary to advance our understanding of
these sources, followed by the broad science this enables. I close with a
discussion on the necessary future capabilities to fully utilize these
enigmatic sources to understand our universe.
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