Speaker
Mr
Luke Bovard
Description
The question of the origin of heavy elements has undergone a change in the last few years. Recent numerical simulations have demonstrated that binary neutron star mergers are the most likely progenitors of heavy elements in our galaxy instead of core-collapse supernova. This is due to a more neutron-rich environment that allows a more robust rapid neutron capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis. This change has also allowed for a multi-channel classifcation of ejecta to emerge: dynamical, neutrino driven wind, and viscous wind ejecta. Of these, the dynamical ejecta is the most amenable to numercial relativity simulations due to the shorter time scales. Furthermore, improved treatments of neutrino emission has improved the microphysics of the dynamical ejecta, which in turn provides a more robust environment for r-process nucleosynthesis. Up until this point, analysis of the dynamical ejecta has mostly been confined to single simulations and no thorough parameter study has been completed. In this talk, we will discuss the dependence of the dynamical ejecta nucleosynthesis on the initial composition of the binary neutron star, such as equation of state, masses, and mass ratios using numerical relativiy and neutrino transport simulations.
