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Title:
The Lowest-Mass Stellar Black Holes: Catastrophic Death of Neutron Stars in Gamma-Ray Bursts
Authors:
Belczynski, K.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Kalogera, V.; Rasio, F.; Taam, R. E.; Bulik, T.
Affiliation:
AA(Los Alamos National Laboratory (Oppenheimer Fellow).), AB(Pennsylvania State University.), AC(Northwestern University.), AD(Northwestern University.), AE(Northwestern University.), AF(Warsaw University.)
Publication:
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 680, Issue 2, pp. L129-L132. (ApJL Homepage)
Publication Date:
06/2008
Origin:
UCP
ApJ Keywords:
Stars: Binaries: Close, Black Hole Physics, Gravitational Waves, Stars: Evolution, Stars: Neutron
DOI:
10.1086/589970
Bibliographic Code:
2008ApJ...680L.129B

Abstract

Mergers of double neutron stars are considered the most likely progenitors for short gamma-ray bursts. Indeed, such a merger can produce a black hole with a transient accreting torus of nuclear matter, and the conversion of a fraction of the torus mass-energy to radiation can power a gamma-ray burst. Using available binary pulsar observations supported by our extensive evolutionary calculations of double neutron star formation, we demonstrate that the fraction of mergers that can form a black hole-torus system depends very sensitively on the (largely unknown) maximum neutron star mass. We show that the available observations and models put a very stringent constraint on this maximum mass under the assumption that black hole formation is required to produce a short gamma-ray burst in a double neutron star merger. Specifically, we find that the maximum neutron star mass must be within 2-2.5 Msolar. Moreover, a single unambiguous measurement of a neutron star mass above 2.5 Msolar would exclude a black hole-torus central engine model of short gamma-ray bursts in double neutron star mergers. Such an observation would also indicate that if in fact short gamma-ray bursts are connected to neutron star mergers, the gamma-ray burst engine is best explained by the lesser known model invoking a highly magnetized massive neutron star.
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