Electromagnetic Precursors to Binary Neutron Star Mergers: Kinetic Simulations of Magnetospheric Flaring

TL;DR

This paper presents 3D kinetic simulations of binary neutron star magnetospheres, predicting electromagnetic precursors like gamma-ray bursts and fast radio bursts that could be detected before mergers.

Contribution

First 3D global kinetic simulations of neutron star magnetosphere interactions, revealing novel electromagnetic precursor signals prior to binary neutron star mergers.

Findings

Predicts gamma-ray signals peaking at ~16 MeV detectable minutes to seconds before merger.

Suggests merging plasmoids could produce fast radio burst-like transients seconds before merger.

Identifies potential for detection by upcoming wide-field and targeted radio and gamma-ray instruments.

Abstract

We present the first 3D global kinetic simulations of the interacting magnetospheres of pre-merger binary neutron stars. The stars, whose magnetic moments are anti-aligned, twist the field lines connecting them, leading to periodic eruptions. Each eruption consists of an expanding magnetic flux tube with a reconnecting current sheet trailing behind it, topologically analogous to coronal mass ejections. We predict two novel classes of electromagnetic precursor signals powered by the efficient dissipation of magnetic energy in these periodically forming trailing current sheets. First, particles accelerated in the sheets produce nonthermal gamma-ray signals peaking at $\sim16\,\mathrm{MeV}$, which escape minutes to seconds before merger while the sheets are still optically thin to pair production, with modest characteristic luminosities of $L_\mathrm{obs}\gtrsim 10^{42}\,\mathrm{erg/s}$, detectable only for nearby mergers. Second, merging plasmoids in the sheets could produce fast radio burst-like transients in the final seconds before merger, with characteristic luminosities $L_\mathrm{radio}\sim 10^{38-40}\,\mathrm{erg/s}$. These coherent radio precursors would be detectable by upcoming instruments, either in untargeted surveys by wide-field instruments such as CHORD, or through targeted follow-up of gravitational-wave early-warning alerts with instruments such as DSA or SKA-mid.