Possible role of magnetic reconnection in the electromagnetic counterpart of binary black hole merger

Abstract

We propose a qualitative scenario to interpret the argued association between the direct measurement of the gravitational wave event GW150914 by Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO)-Virgo collaborations and the hard $X$-ray transient detected by Fermi-Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) $0.4$ sec after. In a binary system of two gravitationally collapsing objects with a non-vanishing electric charge, the compenetration of the two magnetospheres occurring during the coalescence, through magnetic reconnection, produces a highly collimated relativistic outflow that becomes optically thin and shines in the GBM field of view. We propose that this process should be expected as a commonplace in the future joint gravitational/electromagnetic detections and, in case of neutron star-neutron star merger event, might lead to detectable $X$- or $\gamma$-ray precursors to, or transients associated with, the gravitational bursts.

8 pages; 1 figure. JCAP, in press

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• Black Hole Pulsar
• Charged Compact Binary Coalescence Signal and Electromagnetic Counterpart of Plunging BH-NS mergers
• Analysis of Sub-threshold Short Gamma-ray Bursts in Fermi GBM Data
• Limits on electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave-detected binary black hole mergers
• On neutralization of charged black holes
• A First Search for Prompt Radio Emission from a Gravitational-Wave Event
• Initial data for general relativistic simulations of multiple electrically charged black holes with linear and angular momenta
• Merger estimates for Kerr-Sen black holes
• H.E.S.S. follow-up observations of Binary Black Hole Coalescence events during the second and third Gravitational Waves observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo
• Strongly lensed gravitational waves as the probes to test the cosmic distance duality relation
• Electromagnetic Emission post Spinning Black Hole-Magnetized Neutron Star Mergers
• The cosmological distribution of compact object mergers from dynamical interactions with SMBH binaries
• Laser Interferometer in Presence of Scalar field on Gravitational Wave Background