This year gravitational waves were detected for the first time, from a pair of merging black holes. An understanding of neutron star mergers will be crucial for the interpretation of their gravitational wave properties.
Funded by the EU, the objective of the project EOSDNSM (Equation of state dependence of neutron star mergers) was to investigate neutron star mergers using numerical simulations. An equation of state in physics is a mathematical relationship that is always true between the important state variables like pressure and density. The studies had two main goals: a deeper understanding of the gravitational wave emission of these events, and an investigation of the role of mergers in the production of heavy elements formed by the rapid neutron-capture nuclear process.
Further details: Numerical simulations of merging neutron stars