Early X-ray and optical afterglow of gravitational wave bursts from mergers of binary neutron stars

Understand

Double neutron star mergers are strong sources of gravitational waves.

• The upcoming advanced gravitational wave detectors are expected to make the first detection of gravitational wave bursts (GWBs) associated with these sources.
• Proposed electromagnetic counterparts of a GWB include a short GRB, an optical macronova, and a long-lasting radio afterglow.
• Here we suggest that at least some GWBs could be followed by an early afterglow lasting for thousands of seconds, if the post-merger product is a short-lived massive neutron star rather than a black hole.