Exploding neutron stars in close binaries

TL;DR

This paper revisits and reproduces early predictions that merging neutron stars produce short gamma-ray bursts shortly after gravitational wave signals, aligning with recent observational data from LIGO and Fermi.

Contribution

It provides a historical and theoretical validation of earlier models predicting short GRBs following neutron star mergers, confirming their accuracy with recent observations.

Findings

Short GRBs occur approximately 1.7 seconds after GW signals from neutron star mergers.

Early models accurately predicted the timing and properties of short GRBs.

Reproduction of 1984 predictions aligns with recent LIGO and Fermi observations.

Abstract

The discovery of GW signal from merging neutron stars by LIGO on 17th August 2017 was followed by a short GRB170817A discovered by FERMI and INTEGRAL 1.7 seconds after the loss of the GW signal when it just reached its maximum. Here we present a reproduction of the first paper (published by us in 1984) predicting a short GRB after GW signal of merging neutron stars. Our paper followed the scenario by Clark and Eardley (1977) who predicted a catastrophic disruption of a neutron star in a binary 1.7 seconds after the peak of GW signal. Our next paper in 1990 predicted all the main properties of the short GRB with quite a reasonable accuracy. Typos in English translation are corrected and a few comments are added in the current publication as numbered footnotes (the only footnote from the original paper is marked by an asterisk).