Analyzing GW231109_235456 and understanding its potential implications for population studies, nuclear physics, and multi-messenger astronomy

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Main Authors: Wouters, Thibeau, Puecher, Anna, Pang, Peter T. H., Dietrich, Tim
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Wouters, Thibeau
Puecher, Anna
Pang, Peter T. H.
Dietrich, Tim
author_facet Wouters, Thibeau
Puecher, Anna
Pang, Peter T. H.
Dietrich, Tim
contents We study the gravitational-wave trigger GW231109_235456, a sub-threshold binary neutron star merger candidate observed in the first part of the fourth observing run of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration. Assuming the trigger is of astrophysical origin, we analyze it using state-of-the-art waveform models and investigate the robustness of the inferred source parameters under different prior choices in Bayesian inference. We assess the implications for population studies, nuclear physics, and multi-messenger astronomy. Analysing the component masses, we find that GW231109_235456 supports the proposed double Gaussian mass distribution of neutron star masses. Moreover, we find that the remnant most likely collapsed promptly to a black hole and that, because of the large distance, a possible kilonova connected to the merger was noticeably dimmer than AT2017gfo. In addition, we provide constraints on the equation of state from GW231109_235456 alone, as well as combined with GW170817 and GW190425. In our projections for the future, we simulate a similar event using the upcoming generation of gravitational-wave detectors. Our findings indicate that we can constrain the neutron star radius with an accuracy of 400 meters using the Einstein Telescope alone, or 300 meters when combined with the Cosmic Explorer, both at 90% credibility.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_22290
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Analyzing GW231109_235456 and understanding its potential implications for population studies, nuclear physics, and multi-messenger astronomy
Wouters, Thibeau
Puecher, Anna
Pang, Peter T. H.
Dietrich, Tim
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
We study the gravitational-wave trigger GW231109_235456, a sub-threshold binary neutron star merger candidate observed in the first part of the fourth observing run of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration. Assuming the trigger is of astrophysical origin, we analyze it using state-of-the-art waveform models and investigate the robustness of the inferred source parameters under different prior choices in Bayesian inference. We assess the implications for population studies, nuclear physics, and multi-messenger astronomy. Analysing the component masses, we find that GW231109_235456 supports the proposed double Gaussian mass distribution of neutron star masses. Moreover, we find that the remnant most likely collapsed promptly to a black hole and that, because of the large distance, a possible kilonova connected to the merger was noticeably dimmer than AT2017gfo. In addition, we provide constraints on the equation of state from GW231109_235456 alone, as well as combined with GW170817 and GW190425. In our projections for the future, we simulate a similar event using the upcoming generation of gravitational-wave detectors. Our findings indicate that we can constrain the neutron star radius with an accuracy of 400 meters using the Einstein Telescope alone, or 300 meters when combined with the Cosmic Explorer, both at 90% credibility.
title Analyzing GW231109_235456 and understanding its potential implications for population studies, nuclear physics, and multi-messenger astronomy
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.22290