An international team of researchers have developed a method to model the observable signs of a kilonova explosion from the explosive merger of two orbiting neutron stars. This could help them describe what exactly happens during a merger, how nuclear matter behaves under extreme conditions and why the gold on Earth must have been created by such cosmic events in the distant past.
The researchers used a new software tool to interpret the many types of astrophysical data from a kilonova explosion. Up until now, many different data sources were analysed separately and the data interpreted using different physical models in some cases, according to the Max Planck Society.
“Our new method will help to analyze the properties of matter at extreme densities. It will also allow us to better understand the expansion of the universe and to what extent heavy elements are formed during neutron star mergers,” explained researcher Tim Dietrich in a press statement.
Neutron stars are superdense astrophysical objects formed at the end of a massive star’s life in a supernova explosion. Sometimes, neutron stars orbit each other in binary systems. These systems constantly lose energy by emitting gravitational waves until they eventually collide and merge.
Such mergers let researchers study the physical properties of the most extreme conditions in the universe. For example, the conditions of these high-energy collisions lead to the formation of heavy elements like gold.
The researchers applied the new method to “multi-messenger” observations of binary neutron star mergers. In an event that was discovered on August 17, 2017, the stars’ last few thousand orbits around each other had warped space-time enough to create gravitational waves. These waves were discovered by terrestrial observatories like Advanced LIGO and Advanced VIRGO.
Some of the elements created in the merger decayed radioactively. This caused the temperature to rise, sending out electromagnetic signals in the optical, infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths, which were discovered up to two weeks after the collision. A gamma-ray burst caused by the merger also ejected additional material.
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First uploaded on: 28-12-2023 at 1:06 pm IST
