MPIA: The Alchemy of Merging Neutron Stars

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MPIA: The Alchemy of Merging Neutron Stars

Post by bystander » Fri Oct 25, 2019 8:07 pm

The Alchemy of Merging Neutron Stars
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy | 2019 Oct 23

Observations of a kilonova identify neutron star mergers as sites of nucleosynthesis of heavy elements

For the first time, astronomers have identified a chemical element that was freshly formed by the merging of two neutron stars. The underlying mechanism, called the r-process – also known as rapid neutron capture – is considered to be the origin of large quantities of elements heavier than iron. This discovery sheds new light on the mystery of the environments in which this r-process takes place. ... astronomers have now unequivocally demonstrated that the fusion of two neutron stars creates the conditions for this process and acts as a reactor in which new elements are bred.

The origin of heavy elements such as gold, lead and uranium has not yet been fully clarified. The lightest elements – hydrogen and helium – were already formed in significant quantities with the Big Bang. Nuclear fusion in the cores of stars is also a well-established source of atoms in the mass range from helium to iron.

For the production of heavier atoms, scientists suspect a process that attaches free neutrons to already existing building blocks. The fast variant of this mechanism is the so-called r-process (r stands for rapid) or fast neutron capture. At present, research is being carried out to determine which objects might be sites where this reaction takes place. Possible candidates so far are a rare type of supernova explosions and the merging of dense stellar remnants like binary neutron stars. ...

First Identification of a Heavy Element Born from Neutron Star Collision
ESO Science Release | VLT | X-shooter | 2019 Oct 23

Identification of Strontium in the Merger of Two Neutron Stars ~ Darach Watson et al
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