Multimessenger Bayesian parameter inference of a binary neutron star merger

Abstract

The combined detection of a binary neutron star merger in both gravitational waves (GWs) and electromagnetic (EM) radiation spanning the entire spectrum – GW170817/AT2017gfo/GRB170817A – marks a breakthrough in the field of multimessenger astronomy. Between the plethora of modelling and observations, the rich synergy that exists among the available data sets creates a unique opportunity to constrain the binary parameters, the equation of state of supranuclear density matter, and the physical processes at work during the kilonova and gamma-ray burst. We report, for the first time, Bayesian parameter estimation combining information from GW170817, AT2017gfo, and GRB170817 to obtain truly multimessenger constraints on the tidal deformability Λ~∈[302, 860], total binary mass M ∈ [2.722, 2.751] M⊙, the radius of a 1.4 solar mass neutron star R∈[11.3, 13.5]km (with additional 0.2 km systematic uncertainty), and an upper bound on the mass ratio of q ≤ 1.27, all at 90 per cent confidence. Our joint novel analysis uses new phenomenological descriptions of the dynamical ejecta, debris disc mass, and remnant black hole properties, all derived from a large suite of numerical relativity simulations.

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