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Kilonovae
11Department of Physics, Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 USA.
Living Reviews in Relativity
|December 31, 2019
Summary
Kilonovae, thermal transients from neutron star mergers, produce heavy elements like gold. Observations of GW170817 confirmed theoretical models, offering insights into the universe's composition and dense matter physics.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics
- Nuclear Physics
- Cosmology
Background:
- Double neutron star (NS-NS) and black hole-neutron star (BH-NS) mergers are key sources of gravitational waves (GW).
- These mergers eject neutron-rich matter, driving the rapid neutron capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis of heavy elements.
- Radioactive decay of these elements powers kilonovae, transient astronomical events providing insights into merger physics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the history and physics of kilonovae.
- To discuss the current understanding of kilonova emission timescales and spectral properties.
- To explore variations and future observational prospects for kilonovae.
Main Methods:
- Review of theoretical kilonova models and observational data.
- Analysis of light curve models applied to GW170817.
- Discussion of potential observational signatures from future merger events.
Main Results:
- The standard kilonova model predicts day-timescale optical emission followed by week-long near-infrared (NIR) emission.
- The kilonova counterpart to GW170817 largely confirmed these predictions.
- Potential variations include UV precursor emission and luminosity enhancements from central engines.
Conclusions:
- Joint GW and kilonova observations offer a powerful tool to study the origin of heavy elements.
- These observations can constrain the equation of state of dense nuclear matter.
- Future kilonova observations will refine our understanding of astrophysical processes in compact object mergers.
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