Related papers: Systematic Opacity Calculations for Kilonovae
Compact object mergers can produce a thermal electromagnetic counterpart (a "kilonova") powered by the decay of freshly synthesized radioactive isotopes. The luminosity of kilonova light curves depends on the efficiency with which…
Depending upon the properties of their compact remnants and the physics included in the models, simulations of neutron star mergers can produce a broad range of ejecta properties. The characteristics of this ejecta, in turn, define the…
The radioactive decay of the freshly synthesized $r$-process nuclei ejected in compact binary mergers power optical/infrared macronovae (kilonovae) that follow these events. The light curves depend critically on the energy partition among…
The detailed observations of GW170817 proved for the first time directly that neutron star mergers are a major production site of heavy elements. The observations could be fit by a number of simulations that qualitatively agree, but can…
We have performed r-process calculations for matter ejected dynamically in neutron star mergers based on a complete set of trajectories from a three-dimensional relativistic smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulation. Our calculations…
Neutrinos are copiously emitted by neutron star mergers, due to the high temperatures reached by dense matter during the merger and its aftermath. Neutrinos influence the merger dynamics and shape the properties of the ejecta, including the…
We perform radiative transfer simulations for kilonova in various situations, including the cases of prompt collapse to a black hole from neutron-star mergers, high-velocity ejecta possibly accelerated by magnetars, and a black hole-neutron…
The observed spectra and light curves of the kilonova produced by the GW170817 binary neutron star merger provide complementary insights, but modeling both the spectral- and time-domain has proven challenging. Here, we model the…
We present a simple analytic model, that captures the key features of the emission of radiation from material ejected by the merger of neutron stars (NS), and construct the multi-band and bolometric luminosity light curves of the transient…
A kilonova, the electromagnetic emission produced by compact binary mergers, is formed through a delicate interplay of physical processes, involving r-process nucleosynthesis and interactions between heavy elements and photons through…
The merger of binary neutron stars (NSs) is among the most promising gravitational wave (GW) sources. Next-generation GW detectors are expected to detect signals from the NS merger within 200 Mpc. Detection of electromagnetic wave (EM)…
In kilonovae, freshly-synthesized $r$-process elements imprint features on optical spectra, as observed in AT2017gfo, the counterpart to the GW170817 binary neutron star merger. However, measuring the $r$-process compositions of the merger…
A central question regarding neutron star mergers is whether they are able to produce all the r-process elements, from first to third peak. The high abundances of first-peak elements (atomic number $Z \sim 31-40$) in the solar composition…
The kilonova (KN) associated with the binary neutron star (BNS) merger GW170817 is the only known electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave source. Here we produce a sequence of radiative transfer models (using $\textsc{tardis}$)…
Fast material ejected dynamically over $<10$ ms during the merger of a binary neutron-star (BNS) system can give rise to distinctive electromagnetic counterparts to the system's gravitational-wave emission that can serve as a "smoking gun"…
We review current understanding of kilonova/macronova emission from compact binary mergers (mergers of two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole). Kilonova/macronova is optical and near-infrared emission powered by radioactive…
Observed abundances of Z ~ 40 elements in metal-poor stars vary from star to star, indicating that the rapid and slow neutron capture processes may not contribute alone to the synthesis of elements beyond iron. The weak r-process was…
Coalescence of binary neutron star give rise to electromagnetic emission, kilonova, powered by radioactive decays of r-process nuclei. Observations of kilonova associated with GW170817 provided unique opportunity to study the heavy element…
The neutron star (NS) merger GW170817 was followed over several days by optical-wavelength ("blue") kilonova (KN) emission likely powered by the radioactive decay of light r-process nuclei synthesized by ejecta with a low neutron abundance…
The observation of a radioactively powered kilonova AT~2017gfo associated with the gravitational wave-event GW170817 from binary neutron star merger proves that these events are ideal sites for the production of heavy $r$-process elements.…