The Impact of Compactness in Black Hole - Neutron Star Mergers

Recent gravitational wave observations have confirmed the mergers of black hole - neutron star binaries. In a previous study, we investigated how the mass ratio of the binary system has an impact on the disruption of the neutron star, and as a consequence, on the shape of the gravitational waves emitted. In present follow-up study, we extend the results to study the effects from varying the compactness of the neutron star. We consider two mass ratios: 1:3 and 1:4. For each case, we carry out numerical simulations with compactness in the range 0.12 to 0.20. As with the previous study, we use the generalized Bowen-York initial data method for black hole punctures with neutron star companions.