Smaranika Banerjee (Stockholm University): Kilonova from a binary neutron star merger: the story of the cosmic treasure hunt

Thursday 13 Apr 2023, 15:00 → 16:00 Europe/Stockholm

80121 (Ångströmlaboratoriet)

Title: Kilonova from a binary neutron star merger: the story of the cosmic treasure hunt
Speaker: Smaranika Banerjee
Affiliation: Stockholm University
Time: Thursday 13 April 2023, 1500 to 1600
Location: 80121Å

Abstract:

Binary neutron star (BNS) mergers provide an excellent cosmic laboratory to understand the origin of heavy (Z > 26) elements, which has been a long-standing mystery in astronomy.  In the neutron-rich material ejected from the BNS merger, heavy elements are synthesized via rapid neutron capture (r-process).  The radioactive decay of such elements produces emission in the ultraviolet-optical-infrared (UVOIR) range, called a kilonova.  Such a kilonova is already detected as a follow-up observation of gravitational wave from a BNS merger (GW170817), ushering in the era of multi-messenger astronomy.  The observational properties of the kilonova (light curve and spectra) depend on the bound-bound opacity of the heavy elements, which has been the bottleneck for calculating the kilonova light curves.

In my talk, I will discuss challenges and the recent progress in modelling kilonova light curves.  In addition, I will share my recent work on opacity and light curve calculations of the kilonova starting from early time (t ~ hour).

UU_astro_230413.pdf