Reconnection-powered fast radio transients from coalescing neutron star binaries

Abstract

It is an open question whether and how gravitational wave events involving neutron stars can be preceded by electromagnetic counterparts. This work shows that the collision of two neutron stars with magnetic fields well below magnetar-level strengths can produce millisecond Fast-Radio-Burst-like transients. Using global force-free electrodynamics simulations, we demonstrate that electromagnetic flares, produced by overtwisted common flux tubes in the binary magnetosphere, collide with the orbital current sheet and compress it, resulting in enhanced magnetic reconnection. As a result, the current sheet fragments into a sequence of plasmoids, which collide with each other leading to the emission of coherent electromagnetic waves. The resulting millisecond-long burst of radiation should have frequencies in the range of $10-20\mathrm{GHz}$ for magnetic fields of $B^{\ast }=10^{11}\mathrm{G}$ at the stellar surfaces.

10 pages, 4 figures, version accepted by PRL

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• Listening Across the Cosmic Time: Standard Sirens from Ground- and Space-Based Missions in the Next Decade
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