Mergers of double neutron stars with one high-spin component: brighter kilonovae and fallback accretion, weaker gravitational waves

TL;DR

This study uses numerical relativity simulations to explore how a high-spin neutron star in a binary merger affects the ejecta, kilonova brightness, fallback accretion, and gravitational wave emission, revealing distinct observational signatures.

Contribution

It introduces the first detailed simulations of neutron star mergers with one high-spin component, highlighting their unique ejecta dynamics and electromagnetic signatures.

Findings

Spinning mergers eject more mass at low electron fraction, leading to brighter red kilonovae.

They produce weaker blue/UV kilonova precursors but brighter late-time afterglows.

Spinning cases have more fallback accretion and may delay black hole formation.

Abstract

Neutron star (NS) mergers where both stars have negligible spins are commonly considered as the most likely ``standard'' case. In globular clusters, however, the majority of NSs have been spun up to millisecond (ms) periods and, based on observed systems, we estimate that a non-negligible fraction of all double NS mergers ($\sim 4\pm2\;\%$) contains one component with a spin of a (few) ms. We use the Lagrangian numerical relativity code \SpB to simulate mergers where one star has no spin and the other has a dimensionless spin parameter of $\chi=0.5$. Such mergers exhibit several distinct signatures compared to irrotational cases. They form only one, very pronounced spiral arm and they dynamically eject an order of magnitude more mass of unshocked material at the original, very low electron fraction. One can therefore expect particularly bright, red kilonovae. Overall, the spinning case collisions are substantially less violent and they eject smaller amounts of shock-generated semi-relativistic material. Therefore, the ejecta produce a weaker blue/UV kilonova {\em precursor} signal, but -- since the total amount is larger -- brighter kilonova {\em afterglows} months after the merger. The spinning cases also have significantly more fallback accretion and thus could power late-time X-ray flares. Since the post-merger remnant loses energy and angular momentum significantly less efficiently to gravitational waves, such systems can delay a potential collapse to a black hole and are therefore candidates for merger-triggered gamma-ray bursts with longer emission time scales.