Northwestern University1, Evanston, IL 60208 New Mexico State University2, Las Cruces, NM 88003
One of the many puzzles of the universe which challenge even the most sophisticated astrophysical theories are the evolution of massive stars and the end-products of their evolution: neutron stars and black holes. While black holes defy detection, neutron stars give away their presence by emitting radio pulses with a regularity more precise than an atomic clock. Through studying these unique objects, we can learn much about their progenitor stars and the evolutionary processes leading to their formation. When found in gravitationally bound pairs, double neutron stars provide us with valuable information about the stars’ history. Although only 8 double neutron stars have been discovered in the past three decades, these rare systems are responsible for much of what is known about the final stages of a star’s life. Through the use of Monte Carlo simulations, we have been able to place constraints on the evolutionary channels of the observed systems. With three particular systems, we have limited several orbital parameters depending on the evolutionary channel, such as the age of the system, the supernova kick velocity it recieved, and the neutron star progenitor masses.
[Abstract (WPD)]