Gravitational-wave observation together with a large number of electromagnetic observations shows that the source of the latest gravitational-wave event, GW170817, detected primarily by advanced LIGO, is the merger of a binary neutron star. We attempt to interpret this observational event based on our results of numerical-relativity simulations performed so far, paying particular attention to the optical and infrared observations. We finally reach a conclusion that this event is described consistently by the presence of a long-lived hypermassive or supramassive neutron star as the merger remnant because (i) significant contamination by lanthanide elements along our line of sight to this source can be avoided by the strong neutrino irradiation from it and (ii) it could play a crucial role in producing an ejecta component of appreciable mass with fast motion in the postmerger phase. We also point out that (I) the neutron-star equation of state has to be sufficiently stiff (i.e., the maximum mass of cold spherical neutron stars, ${M}_{\mathrm{max}}$, has to be appreciably higher than $2\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$) in order for a long-lived massive neutron star to be formed as the merger remnant for the binary systems of GW170817, for which the initial total mass is $\ensuremath{\gtrsim}2.73\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$, and (II) the absence of optical counterparts associated with relativistic ejecta suggests a not-extremely-high value of ${M}_{\mathrm{max}}$ approximately as $2.15--2.25\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$.

Modeling GW170817 based on numerical relativity and its implications

In recent years our understanding of neutron stars has advanced remarkably, thanks to research converging from many directions. The importance of understanding neutron star behavior and structure has been underlined by the recent direct detection of gravitational radiation from merging neutron stars. The clean identification of several heavy neutron stars, of order two solar masses, challenges our current understanding of how dense matter can be sufficiently stiff to support such a mass against gravitational collapse. Programs underway to determine simultaneously the mass and radius of neutron stars will continue to constrain and inform theories of neutron star interiors. At the same time, an emerging understanding in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) of how nuclear matter can evolve into deconfined quark matter at high baryon densities is leading to advances in understanding the equation of state of the matter under the extreme conditions in neutron star interiors. We review here the equation of state of matter in neutron stars from the solid crust through the liquid nuclear matter interior to the quark regime at higher densities. We focus in detail on the question of how quark matter appears in neutron stars, and how it affects the equation of state. After discussing the crust and liquid nuclear matter in the core we briefly review aspects of microscopic quark physics relevant to neutron stars, and quark models of dense matter based on the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio framework, in which gluonic processes are replaced by effective quark interactions. We turn then to describing equations of state useful for interpretation of both electromagnetic and gravitational observations, reviewing the emerging picture of hadron-quark continuity in which hadronic matter turns relatively smoothly, with at most only a weak first order transition, into quark matter with increasing density. We review construction of unified equations of state that interpolate between the reasonably well understood nuclear matter regime at low densities and the quark matter regime at higher densities. The utility of such interpolations is driven by the present inability to calculate the dense matter equation of state in QCD from first principles. As we review, the parameters of effective quark models-which have direct relevance to the more general structure of the QCD phase diagram of dense and hot matter-are constrained by neutron star mass and radii measurements, in particular favoring large repulsive density-density and attractive diquark pairing interactions. We describe the structure of neutron stars constructed from the unified equations of states with crossover. Lastly we present the current equations of state-called 'QHC18' for quark-hadron crossover-in a parametrized form practical for neutron star modeling.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6633/aaae14/pdf

From hadrons to quarks in neutron stars: a review.

We review the equation of state of matter in neutron stars from the solid crust through the liquid nuclear matter interior to the quark regime at higher densities. We focus in detail on the question of how quark matter appears in neutron stars, and how it affects the equation of state. After discussing the crust and liquid nuclear matter in the core we briefly review aspects of microscopic quark physics relevant to neutron stars, and quark models of dense matter based on the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio framework, in which gluonic processes are replaced by effective quark interactions. We turn then to describing equations of state useful for interpretation of both electromagnetic and gravitational observations, reviewing the emerging picture of hadron-quark continuity in which hadronic matter turns relatively smoothly, with at most only a weak first order transition, into quark matter with increasing density. We review construction of unified equations of state that interpolate between the reasonably well understood nuclear matter regime at low densities and the quark matter regime at higher densities. The utility of such interpolations is driven by the present inability to calculate the dense matter equation of state in QCD from first principles. As we review, the parameters of effective quark models -- which have direct relevance to the more general structure of the QCD phase diagram of dense and hot matter -- are constrained by neutron star mass and radii measurements, in particular favoring large repulsive density-density and attractive diquark pairing interactions. We describe the structure of neutron stars constructed from the unified equations of states with crossover. Lastly we present the current equations of state -- called "QHC18" for quark-hadron crossover -- in a parametrized form practical for neutron star modeling.

From hadrons to quarks in neutron stars: a review

We present a much improved equation of state for neutron star matter, QHC19, with a smooth crossover from the hadronic regime at lower densities to the quark regime at higher densities. We now use the Togashi et al.~equation of state (Togashi:2017), a generalization of the Akmal-Pandharipande-Ravenhall equation of state of uniform nuclear matter, in the entire hadronic regime; the Togashi equation of state consistently describes non-uniform as well as uniform matter, and matter at beta equilibrium without the need for an interpolation between pure neutron and symmetric nuclear matter. We describe the quark matter regime at higher densities with the Nambu--Jona--Lasinio model, now identifying tight constraints on the phenomenological universal vector repulsion between quarks and the pairing interaction between quarks arising from the requirements of thermodynamic stability and causal propagation of sound. The resultant neutron star properties agree very well with the inferences of the LIGO/Virgo collaboration, from GW170817, of the pressure vs. baryon density, neutron star radii, and tidal deformabilities. The maximum neutron star mass allowed by QHC19 is 2.35 $M_\odot$, consistent with all neutron star mass determinations.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ab441e/pdf

New neutron star equation of state with quark-hadron crossover

We revisit the lower bound on binary tidal deformability tilde{Lambda} imposed by a luminous kilonova/macronova, AT 2017gfo, by numerical-relativity simulations of models that are consistent with gravitational waves from the binary neutron star merger GW170817. Contrary to the claim made in the literature, we find that binaries with tilde{Lambda}<~400 can explain the luminosity of AT 2017gfo, as long as moderate mass ejection from the remnant is assumed as had been done in previous work. The reason is that the maximum mass of a neutron star is not strongly correlated with the tidal deformability of neutron stars with a typical mass of ~1.4M_sun. If the maximum mass is so large that the binary does not collapse into a black hole immediately after merger, the mass of the ejecta can be sufficiently large irrespective of the binary tidal deformability. We present models of binary mergers with tilde{Lambda} down to 242 that satisfy the requirement on the mass of the ejecta from the luminosity of AT 2017gfo. We further find that the luminosity of AT 2017gfo could be explained by models that do not experience bounce after merger. We conclude that the luminosity of AT 2017gfo is not very useful for constraining the binary tidal deformability. Accurate estimation of the mass ratio will be necessary to establish a lower bound using electromagnetic counterparts in the future. We also caution that merger simulations that employ a limited class of tabulated equations of state could be severely biased due to the lack of generality.

Revisiting the lower bound on tidal deformability derived by AT 2017gfo

Nuclear equation of state for core-collapse supernova simulations with realistic nuclear forces

We construct a new nuclear equation of state (EOS) for core-collapse supernova (SN) simulations using the variational many-body theory. For uniform nuclear matter, the EOS is constructed with the cluster variational method starting from the realistic nuclear Hamiltonian composed of the Argonne v18 two-body potential and the Urbana IX three-body potential. The masses and radii of neutron stars calculated with the obtained EOS at zero temperature are consistent with recent observational data. For non-uniform nuclear matter, we construct the EOS in the Thomas-Fermi approximation. In this approximation, we assume a functional form of the density distributions of protons, neutrons, and alpha-particles, and minimize the free energy density in a Wigner-Seitz cell with respect to the parameters included in the assumed density distribution functions. The phase diagram of hot nuclear matter at a typical temperature is reasonable as compared with that of the Shen EOS.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/569/1/012058/pdf

Y. Takehara

Papers

Nuclear equation of state for core-collapse supernova simulations with realistic nuclear forces

Equation of state for nuclear matter in core-collapse supernovae by the variational method