Speaker
Description
Two neutron stars merge somewhere in the Universe approximately every 10 to 1000 seconds, creating violent explosions potentially observable in gravitational waves and across the electromagnetic spectrum. The transformative coincident gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 gave invaluable insights into these cataclysmic collisions. And perhaps for many, created a warped perception of what to expect. In this talk, I will discuss what we learned from GW170817 and other mergers involving neutron stars seen directly in gravitational waves or indirectly through electromagnetic radiation. I will highlight how reality has altered our understanding of the formation/evolution of such binaries and the transients they produce at the end of their lives and conclude by discussing what we expect to learn in the upcoming decade.
