Gravitational Waves from Merging Binary Neutron-Star Systems

Abstract

The merger of binary neutron-star systems is among the scientifically richest events in the universe: it involves extremes of matter and gravity, copious emission of gravitational waves, complex microphysics, and electromagnetic pro- cesses that can lead to astrophysical signatures observable at the largest redshifts. We review here the recent progress in understanding the gravitational-wave signal emitted in this process, focussing in particular on its properties during the inspiral and then after the merger. 10.1