A new pair of studies published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters reveal the most detailed simulations to date of neutron star-black hole mergers, providing scientists with a front-row seat to the violent events. Led by Caltech astrophysicist Elias Most, researchers ran the simulations using the Perlmutter supercomputer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The research describes what happens just seconds before a neutron star is obliterated by a black hole. The team found that the neutron star’s crust cracks open like an earthquake, triggering Alfvén waves that may generate fast radio bursts. These tremors could produce extreme shock waves that emanate out into the universe.
Further simulations showed how the black hole swallows the neutron star, sending out powerful shock waves and potentially releasing radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays. The team also discovered a “black hole pulsar,” an exotic object that behaves like a rapidly spinning star with a black hole at its center.
The research, reviewed in concert with real-world data from groups like LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, could help scientists identify and better understand neutron star-black hole collisions.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/simulations-show-what-really-happens-when-a-black-hole-devours-a-neutron-star-2000610656