When a massive star ends its life in a supernova explosion, it can
leave behind a tiny, dense remnant called a neutron star. Sometimes, two
neutron stars end up locked in a gravitational embrace, emitting
gravitational waves as they dance toward each other over millions of
years. When the pair finally meets, their collision lights up the
electromagnetic spectrum and creates heavy elements like gold and
platinum. In a recent research article, Luciano Combi (Argentine
Institute of Radio Astronomy, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical
Physics, and University of Guelph) and Daniel Siegel (Perimeter
Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Guelph, and University
of Greifswald) simulated the nuclear reactions and electromagnetic
radiation produced after the merger of a pair of neutron stars. The
image above illustrates four stages of their simulation, from the moment
before the neutron stars meet, when their mutual gravity stretches them
into teardrop shapes, to the merger aftermath, when an accretion disk
feeds the sole remaining star. To learn more about the simulations
described above, be sure to check out the full article linked below!
Citation
“GRMHD Simulations of Neutron-star Mergers with Weak Interactions: r-process Nucleosynthesis and Electromagnetic Signatures of Dynamical Ejecta,” Luciano Combi and Daniel M. Siegel 2023 ApJ 944 28. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acac29
By Kerry Hensley
