Afterglows from Binary Neutron Star Postmerger Systems Embedded in Active Galactic Nuclei Disks

Abstract

The observability of afterglows from binary neutron star mergers occurring within active galactic nuclei (AGN) disks is investigated. We perform 3D GRMHD simulations of a postmerger system and follow the jet launched from the compact object. We use semianalytic techniques to study the propagation of the blast wave powered by the jet through an AGN disk-like external environment, extending to distances beyond the disk scale height. The synchrotron emission produced by the jet-driven forward shock is calculated to obtain the afterglow emission. The observability of this emission at different frequencies is assessed by comparing it to the quiescent AGN emission. In the scenarios where the afterglow could temporarily outshine the AGN, we find that detection will be more feasible at higher frequencies (≳10 ^14 Hz) and the electromagnetic counterpart could manifest as a fast variability in the AGN emission, on timescales less than a day.

Keywords

• Relativistic jets
• High energy astrophysics
• Radiative transfer
• Transient sources