Robust and fast parameter estimation for gravitational waves from binary neutron star merger remnants
Phys. Rev. D 113, 024012 – Published 7 January, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/g1qs-j74x
Abstract
We present a robust and efficient methodology for parameter estimation of gravitational waves generated during the postmerger phase of binary neutron star mergers. Our approach leverages an analytic waveform model combined with empirical relations to predict prior ranges for the postmerger frequencies based on measurements of the chirp mass and effective tidal deformability in the inspiral phase. This enables robust inference of the main features of the postmerger spectrum, avoiding possible multimodality induced by wide priors. Using waveforms derived from numerical relativity, we systematically validate our model across a broad spectrum of neutron star equations of state and mass configurations, demonstrating high fitting factors. Our method can be applied in future detections of gravitational waves from the postmerger phase with third-generation gravitational wave observatories. Furthermore, by integrating the preconditioned Monte Carlo sampling method within the pocomc framework, we achieve substantial computational acceleration compared to conventional Bayesian techniques.
