Realistic Finite-Temperature Effects in Neutron Star Merger Simulations

Understand

Binary neutron star mergers provide a unique probe of the dense-matter equation of state (EoS) across a wide range of parameter space, from the zero-temperature EoS during the inspiral to the high-temperature EoS following the merger.

• In this paper, we implement a new model for calculating parametrized finite-temperature EoS effects into numerical relativity simulations.
• This "M* model" is based on a two-parameter approximation of the particle effective mass and includes the leading-order effects of degeneracy in the thermal pressure and energy.
• We test our numerical implementation by performing evolutions of rotating single stars with zero- and non-zero temperature gradients, as well as evolutions of binary neutron star mergers.