Related papers: Thorium in Kilonova Spectra: Exploring the Heavies…
The discovery of gravitational waves from a neutron star merger in 2017 (GW170817) and the associated kilonova (AT2017gfo) confirmed these events as key sites for heavy element production through the r-process. Subsequent observations,…
We perform a comparative analysis of nucleosynthesis yields from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers, black hole-neutron star (BHNS) mergers, and core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) with the goal of determining which are the most dominant…
The heaviest chemical elements are naturally produced by the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) during neutron star mergers or supernovae. The r-process production of elements heavier than uranium (transuranic nuclei) is poorly…
Kilonovae (KNe) are one of the fastest types of optical transients known, cooling rapidly in the first few days following their neutron-star merger origin. We show here that KN spectral features go through rapid recombination transitions,…
The electromagnetic transient following a binary neutron star merger is known as a kilonova (KN). Owing to rapid expansion velocities and small ejecta masses, KNe rapidly transition into the Non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (NLTE)…
We study the radioactively-powered transients produced by accretion disk winds following a compact object merger. Starting with the outflows generated in two-dimensional hydrodynamical disk models, we use wavelength-dependent radiative…
Kilonovae are optical transients following the merger of neutron star binaries, which are powered by the r-process heating of merger ejecta. However, if a merger remnant is a long-lived supramassive neutron star supported by its uniform…
Black hole-neutron star mergers are among the promising gravitational-wave sources for ground-based detectors, and gravitational waves from black hole-neutron star mergers are expected to be detected in the next few years. Simultaneous…
The conditions for the leading r-process site candidate, neutrino-driven winds, can not be reproduced self-consistently in current supernova models. For that reason, we investigate an alternate model involving the mass ejected by fallback…
The discovery of the radioactively powered kilonova AT2017gfo, associated with the short-duration gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A and the gravitational wave source GW170817, has provided the first direct evidence supporting binary neutron star…
We present a strictly line-by-line differential analysis of a moderately $r$-process-enhanced star ($r$-I: HD~107752) with respect to a strongly $r$-process-enhanced star ($r$-II: CS~31082-0001) to investigate the possible common origin of…
Mergers of neutron stars are believed to be one of the primary sites for the synthesis of the universe's heavy elements via the rapid neutron capture process. AT2017gfo, the kilonova following GW170817 provided the first direct…
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)…
The merger of two neutron stars or of a neutron star and a black hole often result in the ejection of a few percents of a solar mass of matter expanding at high speed in space. Being matter coming from the violent disruption of a neutron…
One of the most promising electromagnetic signatures of compact object mergers are kilonovae: approximately isotropic radioactively-powered transients that peak days to weeks post-merger. Key uncertainties in modeling kilonovae include the…
We use 3D hydrodynamic simulations of the long-term evolution of neutron star merger ejecta to predict the light curves of electromagnetic transients that are powered by the decay of freshly produced r-process nuclei. For the dynamic ejecta…
Using near-ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope, we detect neutral tellurium in three metal-poor stars enriched by products of r-process nucleosynthesis, BD+17 3248,…
The discovery of the kilonova (KN) AT 2017gfo, accompanying the gravitational wave event GW170817, provides crucial insight into the synthesis of heavy elements during binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. Following this landmark event,…
We study the production of very light elements ($Z < 20$) in the dynamical and spiral-wave wind ejecta of binary neutron star mergers by combining detailed nucleosynthesis calculations with the outcome of numerical relativity merger…
We present detailed spectroscopic analysis of the extraordinarily fast-evolving transient AT2018kzr. The transient's observed lightcurve showed a rapid decline rate, comparable to the kilonova AT2017gfo. We calculate a self-consistent…