Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-20-2020
Abstract
On 2019 April 25, the LIGO Livingston detector observed a compact binary coalescence with signal-to-noise ratio 12.9. The Virgo detector was also taking data that did not contribute to detection due to a low signal-to-noise ratio, but were used for subsequent parameter estimation. The 90% credible intervals for the component masses range from to (– if we restrict the dimensionless component spin magnitudes to be smaller than 0.05). These mass parameters are consistent with the individual binary components being neutron stars. However, both the source-frame chirp mass and the total mass of this system are significantly larger than those of any other known binary neutron star (BNS) system. The possibility that one or both binary components of the system are black holes cannot be ruled out from gravitational-wave data. We discuss possible origins of the system based on its inconsistency with the known Galactic BNS population. Under the assumption that the signal was produced by a BNS coalescence, the local rate of neutron star mergers is updated to 250–2810 .
Recommended Citation
Abbott, B. P., et al. "GW190425: Observation of a compact binary coalescence with total mass∼ 3.4 M⊙." The Astrophysical Journal Letters 892.1 (2020): L3. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab75f5
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DOI
10.3847/2041-8213/ab75f5
Comments
© 2020. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.