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by rocqua 3167 days ago
By davidhydes comment [1] it is because the gamma burst actually happens after the merger. It is caused by the ejected mass slowing down due to friction.

My layman's interpretation is that this is cherenkov radiation on an astronomical scale, though that suggests it is caused by charged particles, which neutrons aren't.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15484357