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Numerical Relativity Simulations of Dark Matter Admixed Binary Neutron Stars

Authors: Giangrandi, Edoardo; Rüter, Hannes R.; Nina Kunert; Mattia Emma; Adrian Abac; ...; Dietrich, Tim; Sagun, Violetta; Wolfgang Tichy; Providência, Constança

Ref.: arxiv 2504.20825 [astro-ph.HE] (2025)

Abstract: Binary neutron star mergers provide insight into strong-field gravity and the properties of ultra-dense nuclear matter. These events offer the potential to search for signatures of physics beyond the standard model, including dark matter. We present the first numerical-relativity simulations of binary neutron star mergers admixed with dark matter, based on constraint-solved initial data. Modeling dark matter as a non-interacting fermionic gas, we investigate the impact of varying dark matter fractions and particle masses on the merger dynamics, ejecta mass, post-merger remnant properties, and the emitted gravitational waves. Our simulations suggest that the dark matter morphology - a dense core or a diluted halo - may alter the merger outcome. Scenarios with a dark matter core tend to exhibit a higher probability of prompt collapse, while those with a dark matter halo develop a common envelope, embedding the whole binary. Furthermore, gravitational wave signals from mergers with dark matter halo configurations exhibit significant deviations from analytical models when the tidal deformability is calculated in a standard two-fluid framework. This highlights the need for refined models in calculating the tidal deformability when considering mergers with extended dark matter structures. These initial results provide a basis for further exploration of dark matter role in binary neutron star mergers and their associated gravitational wave emission and can serve as a benchmark for future observations from advanced detectors and multi-messenger astrophysics.

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