GW200115: Simulation of a Black Hole Merging with a Neutron Star
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Credit & Copyright: Simulation:
S.V. Chaurasia
(Stockholm U.),
T. Dietrich
(Potsdam U.
&
MPIGP);
Visualization: T. Dietrich (Potsdam U. & MPIGP), N. Fischer, S. Ossokine, H. Pfeiffer (MPIGP)
Explanation:
What happens when a black hole destroys a neutron star?
Analyses indicate that just such an event created gravitational wave event
GW200115,
detected in 2020 January by
LIGO and
Virgo observatories.
To better understand the unusual event, the
featured visualization was created from a computer simulation.
The visualization video starts with the
black hole (about 6 times the Sun's mass) and
neutron star (about 1.5 times the Sun's mass) circling each other,
together emitting an increasing amount of
gravitational radiation.
The picturesque pattern of
gravitational wave emission is shown in blue.
The duo
spiral together increasingly fast until the
neutron star becomes completely absorbed by the
black hole.
Since the neutron star did not break apart during
the collision, little light escaped --
which matches the lack of an observed optical counterpart.
The remaining black hole
rings briefly,
and as that dies down so do the emitted gravitational waves.
The 30-second
time-lapse video may seem short,
but it actually lasts about 1000 times longer than the real merger event.
Visualization: T. Dietrich (Potsdam U. & MPIGP), N. Fischer, S. Ossokine, H. Pfeiffer (MPIGP)
Astrophysicists:
Browse 2,500+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code Library
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: black hole - neutron star - gravitational radiation
Publications with words: black hole - neutron star - gravitational radiation
See also:
- Simulation: Two Black Holes Merge
- The Galaxy, the Jet, and a Famous Black Hole
- APOD: 2024 May 8 Á Visualization: A Black Hole Accretion Disk
- APOD: 2024 May 7 Á Black Hole Accreting with Jet
- APOD: 2024 May 5 Á A Black Hole Disrupts a Passing Star
- APOD: 2024 April 1 Á Swirling Magnetic Field around Our Galaxys Central Black Hole
- UHZ1: Distant Galaxy and Black Hole