Modeling the merger of black holes with neutron stars and subsequent processes in one simulation
Numerical simulation of a black hole-neutron star merger. Density profiles are shown in blue and green, magnetic field lines penetrating black holes are shown in pink. Unbound material is shown in white its velocity with a green arrow. Credit: K. Hayashi (Kyoto University) Using supercomputer calculations, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Gravity Physics in Potsdam and from Japan showed a consistent picture for the first time: They modeled the complete process of a black hole colliding with a neutron star. In their study, they calculated the process from the final orbit through merging to the post-merger phase where, according to their calculations, high-energy gamma-ray bursts could occur. The results of their study have now been published in the journal D Physical Overview . Nearly seven years have passed since the first detection of gravitational waves. On September 14, 2015, LIGO detectors in the US recorded the signa