Neutron star mergers Gravitational Waves Gamma Ray Bursts and the Origin of Gold

by Tsvi Piran

at Physics Colloquium

Tue, 13 Dec 2016, 15:00
Nanotechnology institute building (#51) room 15

Abstract

The origin of heavy elements and in particular r process produced heavy elements is one of the current cosmic puzzles For years it was believed that these elements are produced in Supernovae However recent numerical simulations on one hand and astronomical observations on the other rule this out I suggest that binary neutron star mergers rare events that happen once per a million years or so in the Galaxy are the most likely sites of heavy r process nucleosynthesis These events also produce short gamma ray bursts and unique gravitational radiation signals that are the target of the advanced gravitational radiation detectors like LIGO and Virgo After an introduction to the ideas of nucleosynthesis I will discuss this model as well as a suite of recent independent observations supporting it Refreshments are served at 14:45

Created on 28-11-2016 by Bar Lev, Yevgeny (ybarlev)
Updaded on 28-11-2016 by Bar Lev, Yevgeny (ybarlev)