NASA supercomputer reveals magnetic chaos before neutron-star merger
A NASA Goddard-led study used the NASA Pleiades supercomputer to simulate the final orbits of a binary neutron-star system, showing magnetospheres continually reconnecting as the stars spiral in. The simulations indicate high-energy gamma-ray emission is largely trapped by electron-positron pair production, while lower-energy gamma-rays and X-rays may escape depending on the observer's viewpoint. The work helps predict pre-merger signals for future gamma-ray telescopes and gravitational-wave detectors like LISA.
