SHOCK BREAKOUT DRIVEN BY THE REMNANT OF A NEUTRON STAR BINARY MERGER: AN X-RAY PRECURSOR OF MERGERNOVA EMISSION

Abstract

A supra-massive neutron star (NS) spinning extremely rapidly could survive from a merger of an NS-NS binary. The spin-down of this remnant NS that is highly magnetized could power the isotropic merger ejecta to produce a bright mergernova emission in the ultraviolet/optical bands. Before the mergernova, the early interaction between the NS wind and the ejecta could drive a forward shock propagating outward into the ejecta. As a result, a remarkable amount of heat can be accumulated behind the shock front and the final escape of this heat could produce a shock breakout emission. We describe the dynamics and thermal emission of this shock with a semi-analytical model. It is found that a few hours after the merger, by leading the mergernova emission as a precursor, sharp and luminous breakout emission appears mainly in soft X-rays, with a luminosity of . Therefore, the detection of such an X-ray precursor could provide evidence for identifying NS-powered mergernovae and distinguishing them from radioactivity-powered novae (i.e., kilonovae or macronovae). The discovery of NS-powered mergernovae could finally help to confirm the gravitational wave signals due to the mergers and the existence of supra-massive NSs.