W200115：黑洞合并中子星的电脑模拟

2021年7月14日

GW200115: Simulation of a Black Hole Merging with a Neutron Star
Video Credit: Simulation: S.V. Chaurasia (Stockholm U.), T. Dietrich (Potsdam U. & MPIGP);
Visualization: T. Dietrich (Potsdam U. & MPIGP), N. Fischer, S. Ossokine, H. Pfeiffer (MPIGP)

Explanation: What happens when a black hole destroys a neutron star? Analyses indicate that just such an event created gravitational wave event GW200115, detected in 2020 January by LIGO and Virgo observatories. To better understand the unusual event, the featured visualization was created from a computer simulation. The visualization video starts with the black hole (about 6 times the Sun’s mass) and neutron star (about 1.5 times the Sun’s mass) circling each other, together emitting an increasing amount of gravitational radiation. The picturesque pattern of gravitational wave emission is shown in blue. The duo spiral together increasingly fast until the neutron star becomes completely absorbed by the black hole. Since the neutron star did not break apart during the collision, little light escaped — which matches the lack of an observed optical counterpart. The remaining black hole rings briefly, and as that dies down so do the emitted gravitational waves. The 30-second time-lapse video may seem short, but it actually lasts about 1000 times longer than the real merger event.

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W200115：黑洞合并中子星的电脑模拟
影片提供与模拟: S.V. Chaurasia (Stockholm U.), T. Dietrich (Potsdam U. & MPIGP);
视像化: T. Dietrich (Potsdam U. & MPIGP), N. Fischer, S. Ossokine, H. Pfeiffer (MPIGP)

说明: 黑洞摧毁中子星会发生什么事？由LIGO和Virgo在2020年1月侦测到的重力波事件GW200115，数据经过分析后指出其源头正是上述的这种事件。为了要更深入了解这个不寻常的事件，特别进行了电脑模拟，而上面这部影片就是成果的视象化。在影片的开始时，质量约6个太阳的黑洞和质量1.5个太阳的中子星相互旋绕，并发出愈来愈强烈的重力辐射。影像中，以蓝色呈现美丽的重力波辐射图案。这对天体以愈来愈快的速度回旋靠近，直到中子星被黑洞完全吞噬为止。因为互撞时，中子星并未分崩离析，故此合并事件几乎不发光，这与未侦到对应光学讯号的观测相符。合并后的黑洞短暂振荡，但在辐射重力波之后就安静下来。这部缩时影片的全长为30秒，看似很短，但它比真实的合并事件要长1000倍。

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