Eventual development of a magnetically dominated funnel in unequal-mass mergers

Determine whether a magnetically dominated funnel comparable to that of the equal-mass binary eventually develops in the unequal-mass binary neutron-star merger remnant through longer and higher-resolution simulations.

Background

The simulations compare equal-mass and unequal-mass binary neutron-star mergers after delayed collapse to black holes. The equal-mass model develops a coherent, extended magnetically dominated funnel, whereas the unequal-mass model exhibits weaker, fragmented polar magnetization despite being evolved for approximately 30 ms after black-hole formation.

The authors suggest that the unequal-mass remnant may require a longer post-collapse evolution, but they do not establish whether a comparable funnel will ultimately form. They explicitly identify longer and higher-resolution simulations as necessary to resolve this question.

References

This suggests that the development of a well-defined funnel is delayed in the unequal-mass model, likely reflecting differences in the magnetic-field evolution established during the HMNS phase, although longer and higher-resolution simulations would be required to determine whether a comparable funnel eventually develops.

— Binary Neutron Star Merger Simulations with Microphysical Equation of State using Spritz  (2608.23310 - Nouri et al., 24 Aug 2026) in Section 3.3.1, “Highly magnetized funnel formation”