Related papers: Collapsars as a major source of r-process elements
Recent stellar evolutionary calculations of low-metallicity massive fast-rotating main-sequence stars yield iron cores at collapse endowed with high angular momentum. It is thought that high angular momentum and black hole formation are…
An overview of the sources for heavy elements in the early Galaxy is given. It is shown that observations of abundances in metal-poor stars can be used along with a basic understanding of stellar models to guide the search for the source of…
We study the enrichment and mixing of r-process elements in ultrafaint dwarf galaxies (UFDs). We assume that r-process elements are produced by neutron-star mergers (NSMs), and examine multiple models with different natal kick velocities…
We consider the explosion of supernovae and the possible production of a variety of high energy transients by delayed black hole formation in massive stars endowed with rotation. Following the launch of a ``successful'' shock by the usual…
Neutron star mergers have been long considered as promising sites of heavy $r$-process nucleosynthesis. We overview observational evidence supporting this scenario including: the total amount of $r$-process elements in the Galaxy, extreme…
Stars of ~8-100 solar masses end their lives as core-collapse supernovae (SNe). In the process they emit a powerful burst of neutrinos, produce a variety of elements, and leave behind either a neutron star or a black hole. The wide mass…
The ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Reticulum II was enriched by a rare and prolific r-process event, such as a neutron star merger. To investigate the nature of this event, we present high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectroscopy of the brightest…
Recent studies of elemental abundances in the Galactic halo and in the Galactic disk have underscored the possibility to kinematically separate different Galactic subcomponents. Correlations between the galactocentric rotation velocity and…
Neutron star (binary neutron star and neutron star - black hole) mergers are believed to produce short-duration gamma-ray bursts. They are also believed to be the dominant source of gravitational waves to be detected by the advanced LIGO…
Identifying the cosmic origin of rapid neutron-capture (r-process) elements remains an open problem. Binary neutron-star (BNS) mergers and rare classes of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) represent the main contenders as major r-process…
A large star-to-star variation in the abundances of r-process elements, as seen in the [Eu/Fe] ratio for Galactic halo stars, is a prominent feature that is distinguishable from other heavy elements. It is, in part, caused by the presence…
In the collapsar model for common gamma-ray bursts, the formation of a centrifugally supported disk occurs during the first $\sim$10 seconds following the collapse of the iron core in a massive star. This only occurs in a small fraction of…
This work describes a study of elemental abundances for 30 metal-poor stars whose chemical abundances provide excellent information for setting constraints on models of neutron-capture processes. Based on the abundances of main r- and weak…
Heavy elements, those produced by neutron-capture reactions, have traditionally shown no star-to-star dispersion in all but a handful of metal-poor globular clusters (GCs). Recent detections of low [Pb/Eu] ratios or upper limits in several…
The supernova yields of several heavy elements including alpha-, iron-group, and r-process elements are obtained as a function of the mass of their progenitor main-sequence stars M_ms from the abundance patterns of extremely metal-poor…
In this study we explore the nucleosynthesis in the dynamic ejecta of compact binary mergers. We are particularly interested in the question how sensitive the resulting abundance patterns are to the parameters of the merging system.…
There has been significant progress in the understanding of the r-process over the last ten years. The conditions required for this process have been examined in terms of the parameters for adiabatic expansion from high temperature and…
The supernova yields of r-process elements are obtained as a function of the mass of their progenitor stars from the abundance patterns of extremely metal-poor stars on the left-side [Ba/Mg]-[Mg/H] boundary with a procedure proposed by…
Abundance observations indicate the presence of often surprisingly large amounts of neutron capture (i.e., s- and r-process) elements in old Galactic halo and globular cluster stars. These observations provide insight into the nature of the…
Using axisymmetric simulations coupling special relativistic MHD, an approximate post-Newtonian gravitational potential and two-moment neutrino transport, we show different paths for the formation of either protomagnetars or stellar mass…