Abstract
Mergers of binary neutron stars likely lead to the formation of a hypermassive neutron star (HMNS), which is metastable and eventually collapses to a black hole. This merger scenario is thought to explain the phenomenology of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). The very high energies observed in SGRBs have been suggested to stem from neutrino-antineutrino annihilation and/or from very strong magnetic fields created during or after the merger by mechanisms like the magnetorotational instability. Here, we report on results that show for the first time the development of the magnetorotational instability in HMNSs in three-dimensional, fully general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. This instability amplifies magnetic fields exponentially and could be a vital ingredient in solving the SGRB puzzle.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
M. Shibata, K. Taniguchi, Phys. Rev. D 73, 064027 (2006)
L. Rezzolla, L. Baiotti, B. Giacomazzo et al., Class. Quantum Grav. 27(11), 114105 (2010)
G.M. Harry et al., Class. Quantum Grav. 27, 084006 (2010)
T. Accadia, F. Acernese, F. Antonucci et al., Class. Quantum Grav. 28(11), 114002 (2011)
T. Piran, Rev. Mod. Phys. 76, 1143 (2004)
N. Gehrels, E. Ramirez-Ruiz, D.B. Fox, Ann. Rev. Astron. and Astrophys. 47, 567 (2009)
S.D. Barthelmy, G. Chincarini, D.N. Burrows et al., Nature 438, 994 (2005)
N. Gehrels, C.L. Sarazin, P.T. O’Brien et al., Nature 437, 851 (2005)
L. Rezzolla, B. Giacomazzo, L. Baiotti et al., Astrophys. J. 732(11), L6 (2011)
S. Rosswog, T. Piran, E. Nakar, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 430, 2585 (2013)
R.H. Price, S. Rosswog, Science 312, 719 (2006)
M. Anderson, E.W. Hirschmann, L. Lehner et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 191101 (2008)
B. Giacomazzo, R. Perna, Astrophys. J. Lett. 771, L26 (2013)
M.D. Duez, Y.T. Liu, S.L. Shapiro et al., Phys. Rev. D 73, 104015 (2006)
M.D. Duez, Y.T. Liu, S.L. Shapiro et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96(3), 031101 (2006)
P.B. Demorest, T. Pennucci, S.M. Ransom et al., Nature 467, 1081 (2010)
J. Antoniadis, P.C.C. Freire, N. Wex et al., Science 340, 448 (2013)
K. Hotokezaka, K. Kyutoku, H. Okawa et al., Phys. Rev. D 83(12), 124008 (2011)
K. Hotokezaka, K. Kiuchi, K. Kyutoku et al., Phys. Rev. D 87(2), 024001 (2013)
D.M. Siegel, R. Ciolfi, A.I. Harte et al., Phys. Rev. D 87(12), 121302(R) (2013)
E.P. Velikhov, Sov. Phys. JETP 36, 995 (1959)
S. Chandrasekhar, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 46, 253 (1960)
S.A. Balbus, J.F. Hawley, Astrophys. J. 376, 214 (1991)
S.A. Balbus, Astrophys. J. 453, 380 (1995)
M. Obergaulinger, P. Cerdá-Durán, E. Müller et al., Astron. Astrophys. 498, 241 (2009)
Acknowledgments
DMS greatly acknowledges the award of the first Karl Schwarzschild Prize sponsored by Springer for the best talk in the student section of the first Karl Schwarzschild Meeting, held in Frankfurt, Germany, July 2013. DMS also thanks the organizers of this meeting for travel support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Siegel, D.M., Ciolfi, R. (2016). Magnetic Field Amplification in Hypermassive Neutron Stars via the Magnetorotational Instability. In: Nicolini, P., Kaminski, M., Mureika, J., Bleicher, M. (eds) 1st Karl Schwarzschild Meeting on Gravitational Physics. Springer Proceedings in Physics, vol 170. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20046-0_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20046-0_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-20045-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-20046-0
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)