Exploring compact binary merger host galaxies and environments with $\rm{zELDA}$

Understand

Compact binaries such as double neutron stars or a neutron star paired with a black-hole, are strong sources of gravitational waves during coalescence and also the likely progenitors of various electromagnetic phenomena, notably short-duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs), and kilonovae.

• In this work, we generate populations of synthetic binaries and place them in galaxies from the large-scale hydrodynamical galaxy evolution simulation EAGLE.
• With our zELDA code, binaries are seeded in proportion to star formation rate, and we follow their evolution to merger using both the BPASS and COSMIC binary stellar evolution codes.
• We track their dynamical evolution within their host galaxy potential, to estimate the galactocentric distance at the time of the merger.