Electromagnetic and gravitational outputs from binary-neutron-star coalescence.

The late stage of an inspiraling neutron-star binary gives rise to strong gravitational wave emission due to its highly dynamic, strong gravity. Moreover, interactions between the stellar magnetospheres can produce considerable electromagnetic radiation. We study this scenario using fully general relativistic, resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations.

Boosting jet power in black hole spacetimes.

The extraction of rotational energy from a spinning black hole via the Blandford-Znajek mechanism has long been understood as an important component in models to explain energetic jets from compact astrophysical sources. Here we show more generally that the kinetic energy of the black hole, both rotational and translational, can be tapped, thereby producing even more luminous jets powered by the interaction of the black hole with its surrounding plasma. We study the resulting Poynting jet that arises from single boosted black holes and binary black hole systems.

Mergers of magnetized neutron stars with spinning black holes: disruption, accretion, and fallback.

We investigate the merger of a neutron star in orbit about a spinning black hole in full general relativity with a mass ratio of 5:1, allowing the star to have an initial magnetization of 10(12)  G. We present the resulting gravitational waveform and analyze the fallback accretion as the star is disrupted. We see no significant dynamical effects in the simulations or changes in the gravitational waveform resulting from the initial magnetization.

Binary black holes' effects on electromagnetic fields.

In addition to producing gravitational waves, the dynamics of a binary black hole system could induce emission of electromagnetic radiation by affecting the behavior of plasmas and electromagnetic fields in their vicinity. We here study how the electromagnetic fields are affected by a pair of orbiting black holes through the merger. In particular, we show how the binary's dynamics induce a variability in possible electromagnetically induced emissions as well as a possible enhancement of electromagnetic fields during the late-merge and merger epochs.

Magnetized neutron-star mergers and gravitational-wave signals.

We investigate the influence of magnetic fields upon the dynamics of, and resulting gravitational waves from, a binary neutron-star merger in full general relativity coupled to ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We consider two merger scenarios: one where the stars have aligned poloidal magnetic fields and one without. Both mergers result in a strongly differentially rotating object.