Fast Radio Bursts from Monster Shocks and Flares of Inspiraling Binary Neutron Stars: A Kinetic Model for Double Pulsar
Abstract
The coalescence of binary neutron star systems offers unprecedented possibilities for multimessenger observations, including the detection of gravitational waves, gamma-ray bursts, kilonovae, and potentially fast radio bursts. For a detailed investigation of the latter, one requires a kinetic plasma model to describe the interacting magnetospheres of the stars. We present a three-dimensional particle-in-cell kinetic simulation of the combined magnetosphere of a binary neutron star in which the two stars physically orbit one another so that the orbital motion itself twists the magnetic loops. We find that the stellar magnetic-field intensity ratio controls the emergence of flares, while the stellar spins set the direction and modulation of the flare. We identify four spatially and dynamically distinct regions of strong electromagnetic energy release: (i) an expanding fast magnetosonic wave that steepens into a monster shock, (ii) a plasma flare being pushed by (iii) an expanding fireball and containing (iv) a reconnecting current sheet. The fast magnetosonic wave is a promising source of coherent radio emission. It is released when orbital motion cuts a closed plasma loop. The electric and magnetic wave amplitudes are similar and reach that of the background magnetic field. Our kinetic treatment yields particle spectra and plasma structures that can be used to assess coherent emission in kinetic-scale simulations. In conclusion, the stellar orbital motion constitutes a driving channel distinct from models with spin-driven magnetospheric twisting.
Related
- Persistent Radio Sources and Multiwavelength Counterparts of Fast Radio Bursts: Magnetar Wind Nebulae and Bow Shocks in Massive Binary Systems
- Descalarization bursts from Galactic supramassive neutron stars: a kHz continuous-wave target
- Radiation Reaction in Relativistic Magnetized Shocks of Neutron Star Magnetospheres
- Exploring the connection between Fast Radio Bursts and binary neutron star mergers
- Probing Globular Clusters using Gravitational Waves from Inspiraling Stellar-mass Binary Black Holes in Space-based Detector
BibTeX
@misc{benacek2026fast,
title = {{Fast Radio Bursts from Monster Shocks and Flares of Inspiraling Binary Neutron Stars: A Kinetic Model for Double Pulsar}},
author = {Jan Benáček and Benoît Cerutti and Martin Pohl and Tim Dietrich and Anna Neuweiler},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.18208},
eprint = {2610.18208},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.18208},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Fast Radio Bursts from Monster Shocks and Flares of Inspiraling Binary Neutron Stars: A Kinetic Model for Double Pulsar
AU - Jan Benáček
AU - Benoît Cerutti
AU - Martin Pohl
AU - Tim Dietrich
AU - Anna Neuweiler
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.18208
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.18208
AB - The coalescence of binary neutron star systems offers unprecedented possibilities for multimessenger observations, including the detection of gravitational waves, gamma-ray bursts, kilonovae, and potentially fast radio bursts. For a detailed investigation of the latter, one requires a kinetic plasma model to describe the interacting magnetospheres of the stars. We present a three-dimensional particle-in-cell kinetic simulation of the combined magnetosphere of a binary neutron star in which the two stars physically orbit one another so that the orbital motion itself twists the magnetic loops. We find that the stellar magnetic-field intensity ratio controls the emergence of flares, while the stellar spins set the direction and modulation of the flare. We identify four spatially and dynamically distinct regions of strong electromagnetic energy release: (i) an expanding fast magnetosonic wave that steepens into a monster shock, (ii) a plasma flare being pushed by (iii) an expanding fireball and containing (iv) a reconnecting current sheet. The fast magnetosonic wave is a promising source of coherent radio emission. It is released when orbital motion cuts a closed plasma loop. The electric and magnetic wave amplitudes are similar and reach that of the background magnetic field. Our kinetic treatment yields particle spectra and plasma structures that can be used to assess coherent emission in kinetic-scale simulations. In conclusion, the stellar orbital motion constitutes a driving channel distinct from models with spin-driven magnetospheric twisting.
ER -