Rapidly Evolving and Luminous Transients Driven by Newly Born Neutron Stars

TL;DR

This paper analyzes rapidly evolving luminous transients, proposing they are powered by newly born, highly magnetized neutron stars from white dwarf collapse or neutron star mergers, aiding in understanding stellar physics and gravitational waves.

Contribution

It introduces a model linking these transients to neutron star formation from specific stellar events, providing a framework for future observational and theoretical studies.

Findings

Transients likely caused by low-mass outflows powered by newborn neutron stars.

Origins include white dwarf collapse or neutron star mergers.

Observations can constrain stellar physics and gravitational wave sources.

Abstract

We provide a general analysis on the properties of emitting material of some rapidly evolving and luminous transients discovered recently with the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey. It is found that these transients are probably produced by a low-mass non-relativistic outflow that is continuously powered by a newly born, rapidly spinning, and highly magnetized neutron star. Such a system could originate from an accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf or a merger of a neutron star-neutron star binary. Therefore, observations to these transients would be helpful for constraining white dwarf and neutron star physics and/or for searching and identifying gravitational wave signals from the mergers.