Electromagnetic Signatures of Neutron Star Mergers in the Advanced LIGO Era

Abstract

The mergers of binaries containing neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes are the most promising sources for direct detection in gravitational waves by the interferometers Advanced LIGO and Virgo over the next few years. The concurrent detection of electromagnetic emission from these events would greatly enhance the scientific return of these discoveries. Here we review the state of the art in modeling the electromagnetic signal of neutron star binary mergers across different phases of the merger and multiple wavelengths. We focus on those observables which provide the most sensitive diagnostics of the merger physics and the contribution to the synthesis of rapid neutron capture ($r$-process) elements in the Galaxy. We also outline expected future developments on the observational and theoretical sides of this rapidly evolving field.

To appear in Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science volume 66. Non-copyedited version prepared by the authors. Comments welcome (note that we have reached our upper limit of 150 references)

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