Weinberg Institute Seminar with Wen-Fai Fong

Title: Illuminating the Origins of Heavy Elements with Neutron Star Mergers

Abstract:  When we look up at the night sky, we see a static universe. However, observational surveys have revealed that our universe is dynamic, with a myriad of transient events. One of the most captivating contributors to our transient universe are the mergers of neutron stars. They serve as unique laboratories to study the launching of relativistic jets, the production of heavy elements, and the emission of gravitational waves. In this talk, I describe our quest to understand the imprints of neutron star mergers on the universe from an observational perspective. In particular, I present some surprising results on the types of explosions derived from neutron star mergers, and implications for heavy element creation. I also describe some of our recent work on the importance of host galaxy environments in retaining these heavy elements. Finally, I bridge the connection to the transformative era of multi-messenger astronomy.