PIRSA:11060029 Conference Particle Physics

DOI10.48660/11060029

Conference/School: Microphysics in computational relativistic astrophysics - 2011

Metzger, B. (2011). Nucleosynthesis and Short Gamma-Ray Burst Central Engines. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/11060029

Metzger, Brian. Nucleosynthesis and Short Gamma-Ray Burst Central Engines. Perimeter Institute, Jun. 22, 2011, https://pirsa.org/11060029 

@misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:11060029,
  doi = {10.48660/11060029},
  url = {https://pirsa.org/11060029},
  author = {Metzger, Brian},
  keywords = {Particle Physics},
  language = {en},
  title = {Nucleosynthesis and Short Gamma-Ray Burst Central Engines},
  publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
  year = {2011},
  month = {jun},
  note = {PIRSA:11060029 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
}

Abstract

Massive accretion disks may form from the merger of neutron star (NS)-NS or black hole-NS binaries, or following the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) of a white dwarf. These disks, termed `hyper-accreting' due to their accretion rates up to several solar masses per second, may power the relativistic jets responsible for short duration gamma-ray bursts. Using 1D time-dependent calculations of hyper-accreting disks, I show that a generic consequence of the disk's late-time evolution is the development of a powerful outflow, powered by viscous heating and the recombination of free nuclei into Helium. These outflows - in additional to any material dynamically-ejected during the merger - synthesize heavy radioactive elements as they expand into space. Nuclear heating from the r-process is not yet incorporated in merger simulations, yet has important consequences both for the dynamics of late `fall-back' accretion and in powering a supernova-like transient (`kilonova') 1 day following the merger or AIC.

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