Observing binary neutron star subpopulations with the Einstein Telescope
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866918227657883648 |
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| author | Toubiana, Alexandre Dvorkin, Irina |
| author_facet | Toubiana, Alexandre Dvorkin, Irina |
| contents | The formation channels of binary neutron stars (BNSs) remain uncertain. The detection of GW190425 by LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA (LVK) suggests a subpopulation of massive BNSs, possibly formed through unstable "case BB" mass transfer with short merger delays. We investigate whether next-generation detectors such as the Einstein Telescope (ET) can identify and characterise such subpopulations. Using the latest LVK constraints on the BNS merger rate, we generate mock ET catalogues containing a mixture of light and heavy subpopulations. The redshift distribution of each subpopulation is modeled as the convolution of the cosmic star formation rate with a time-delay distribution: heavy BNSs have fixed short delays, while light BNSs follow power-law delays with indices -0.5,-1,-1.5. Hierarchical Bayesian analyses are then performed on catalogues of 100-5,000 events. With hundreds of detections from ET, we will be able to establish that the total mass distribution is bimodal. A few thousand events are sufficient to disentangle the redshift distributions of the two subpopulations for moderate time-delay indices (-0.5 or -1). For steeper indices (-1.5), the differences are more subtle, requiring larger catalogues, beyond what we could explore given our computational resources. Next-generation detectors should enable the detection of multiple BNS subpopulations and their redshift evolution, providing valuable insight into their formation pathways. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_02296 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Observing binary neutron star subpopulations with the Einstein Telescope Toubiana, Alexandre Dvorkin, Irina High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology The formation channels of binary neutron stars (BNSs) remain uncertain. The detection of GW190425 by LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA (LVK) suggests a subpopulation of massive BNSs, possibly formed through unstable "case BB" mass transfer with short merger delays. We investigate whether next-generation detectors such as the Einstein Telescope (ET) can identify and characterise such subpopulations. Using the latest LVK constraints on the BNS merger rate, we generate mock ET catalogues containing a mixture of light and heavy subpopulations. The redshift distribution of each subpopulation is modeled as the convolution of the cosmic star formation rate with a time-delay distribution: heavy BNSs have fixed short delays, while light BNSs follow power-law delays with indices -0.5,-1,-1.5. Hierarchical Bayesian analyses are then performed on catalogues of 100-5,000 events. With hundreds of detections from ET, we will be able to establish that the total mass distribution is bimodal. A few thousand events are sufficient to disentangle the redshift distributions of the two subpopulations for moderate time-delay indices (-0.5 or -1). For steeper indices (-1.5), the differences are more subtle, requiring larger catalogues, beyond what we could explore given our computational resources. Next-generation detectors should enable the detection of multiple BNS subpopulations and their redshift evolution, providing valuable insight into their formation pathways. |
| title | Observing binary neutron star subpopulations with the Einstein Telescope |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02296 |