2006/06/30 by Frank Löffler, Luciano Rezzolla, Marcus Ansorg · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Accretion (finance) #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Black hole (networking) #Classical mechanics #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #General relativity #Gravitation #Neutron star #Numerical relativity #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Rotating black hole #Stellar black hole #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.74.104018
published as Phys. Rev. D 74, 104018 (2006) · 16 pages, 12 figures
openalex publication_date 2006/11/14 · arxiv created 2007/06/28 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present the first simulations in full general relativity of the head-on collision between a neutron star and a black hole of comparable mass. These simulations are performed through the solution of the Einstein equations combined with an accurate solution of the relativistic hydrodynamics equations via high-resolution shock-capturing techniques. The initial data is obtained by following the York-Lichnerowicz conformal decomposition with the assumption of time symmetry. Unlike other relativistic studies of such systems, no limitation is set for the mass ratio between the black hole and the neutron star, nor on the position of the black hole, whose apparent horizon is entirely contained within the computational domain. The latter extends over \ensuremath∼400M and is covered with six levels of fixed mesh refinement. Concentrating on a prototypical binary system with mass ratio \ensuremath∼6, we find that although a tidal deformation is evident the neutron star is accreted promptly and entirely into the black hole. While the collision is completed before \ensuremath∼300M, the evolution is carried over up to \ensuremath∼1700M, thus providing time for the extraction of the gravitational-wave signal produced and allowing for a first estimate of the radiative efficiency of processes of this type.