scholarly journals Predicted rates of merging neutron stars in galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 500 (1) ◽  
pp. 1071-1086
Author(s):  
Marta Molero ◽  
Paolo Simonetti ◽  
Francesca Matteucci ◽  
Massimo della Valle
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Function ◽  
Time Delay ◽  
Neutron Stars ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Core Collapse ◽  
R Process ◽  
Process Elements ◽  
Luminosity Evolution ◽  
The Eu

ABSTRACT We compute rates of merging neutron stars (MNS) in different galaxies, as well as the cosmic MNS rate in different cosmological scenarios. Our aim is to provide predictions of kilonova rates for future observations both at low and high redshift. In the adopted galaxy models, the production of r-process elements either by MNS or core-collapse supernovae is taken into account. To compute the MNS rates, we adopt either a constant total time delay for merging (10 Myr) or a distribution function of such delays. We conclude (i) the observed present time MNS rate in our Galaxy is well reproduced either with a constant time delay or a distribution function ∝t−1. (ii) The [Eu/Fe] versus [Fe/H] relation can be well reproduced with only MNS, if the time delay is short and constant. If a distribution function of delays is adopted, core-collapse supernovae are also required. (iii) The present time cosmic MNS rate can be well reproduced in several cosmological scenarios. (iv) Spiral galaxies are the major contributors to the cosmic MNS at all redshifts in hierarchical scenarios. In the pure luminosity evolution scenario, the spirals are the major contributors locally, whereas at high redshift ellipticals dominate. (v) The predicted cosmic MNS rate well agrees with the cosmic rate of short gamma-ray bursts, if the distribution function of delays is adopted in a cosmological hierarchical scenario observationally derived. (vi) Future observations of kilonovae in ellipticals will allow us to disentangle among constant or a distribution of time delays and among different cosmological scenarios.

scholarly journals The AMBRE Project: r-process elements in the Milky Way thin and thick discs

2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A143 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Guiglion ◽  
P. de Laverny ◽  
A. Recio-Blanco ◽  
N. Prantzos
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Evolution ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Element Abundances ◽  
Thick Disc ◽  
Thin Disc ◽  
Solar Metallicity ◽  
R Process ◽  
Process Elements ◽  
Process Element ◽  
The Eu

Context. The chemical evolution of neutron capture elements in the Milky Way disc is still a matter of debate. There is a lack of statistically significant catalogues of such element abundances, especially those of the r-process. Aims. We aim to understand the chemical evolution of r-process elements in Milky Way disc. We focus on three pure r-process elements Eu, Gd, and Dy. We also consider a pure s-process element, Ba, in order to disentangle the different nucleosynthesis processes. Methods. We take advantage of high-resolution FEROS, HARPS, and UVES spectra from the ESO archive in order to perform a homogeneous analysis on 6500 FGK Milky Way stars. The chemical analysis is performed thanks to the automatic optimization pipeline GAUGUIN. We present abundances of Ba (5057 stars), Eu (6268 stars), Gd (5431 stars), and Dy (5479 stars). Based on the [α/Fe] ratio determined previously by the AMBRE Project, we chemically characterize the thin and the thick discs, and a metal-rich α-rich population. Results. First, we find that the [Eu/Fe] ratio follows a continuous sequence from the thin disc to the thick disc as a function of the metallicity. Second, in thick disc stars, the [Eu/Ba] ratio is found to be constant, while the [Gd/Ba] and [Dy/Ba] ratios decrease as a function of the metallicity. These observations clearly indicate a different nucleosynthesis history in the thick disc between Eu and Gd–Dy. The [r/Fe] ratio in the thin disc is roughly around +0.1 dex at solar metallicity, which is not the case for Ba. We also find that the α-rich metal-rich stars are also enriched in r-process elements (like thick disc stars), but their [Ba/Fe] is very different from thick disc stars. Finally, we find that the [r/α] ratio tends to decrease with metallicity, indicating that supernovae of different properties probably contribute differently to the synthesis of r-process elements and α-elements. Conclusions. We provide average abundance trends for [Ba/Fe] and [Eu/Fe] with rather small dispersions, and for the first time for [Gd/Fe] and [Dy/Fe]. This data may help to constrain chemical evolution models of Milky Way r- and s-process elements and the yields of massive stars. We emphasize that including yields of neutron-star or black hole mergers is now crucial if we want to quantitatively compare observations to Galactic chemical evolution models.

scholarly journals Environments of massive stars and the upper mass limit

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (S279) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
Paul A. Crowther
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Star Clusters ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Gamma Ray Bursts ◽  
Core Collapse ◽  
Mass Limit ◽  
Host Galaxies ◽  
Long Duration

AbstractThe locations of massive stars (≥ 8M⊙) within their host galaxies is reviewed. These range from distributed OB associations to dense star clusters within giant Hii regions. A comparison between massive stars and the environments of core-collapse supernovae and long duration Gamma Ray Bursts is made, both at low and high redshift. We also address the question of the upper stellar mass limit, since very massive stars (VMS, Minit ≫ 100M⊙) may produce exceptionally bright core-collapse supernovae or pair instability supernovae.

scholarly journals The GALAH survey: temporal chemical enrichment of the galactic disc

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (2) ◽  
pp. 2043-2056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Lin ◽  
Martin Asplund ◽  
Yuan-Sen Ting ◽  
Luca Casagrande ◽  
Sven Buder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Main Sequence ◽  
Abundance Ratio ◽  
Core Collapse ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
R Process ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Process Elements ◽  
Process Element ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
Short Time Delay

ABSTRACT We present isochrone ages and initial bulk metallicities ($\rm [Fe/H]_{bulk}$, by accounting for diffusion) of 163 722 stars from the GALAH Data Release 2, mainly composed of main-sequence turn-off stars and subgiants ($7000\, \mathrm{ K}> T_{\mathrm{ eff}}> 4000\, \mathrm{ K}$ and $\log g>3$ dex). The local age–metallicity relationship (AMR) is nearly flat but with significant scatter at all ages; the scatter is even higher when considering the observed surface abundances. After correcting for selection effects, the AMR appears to have intrinsic structures indicative of two star formation events, which we speculate are connected to the thin and thick discs in the solar neighbourhood. We also present abundance ratio trends for 16 elements as a function of age, across different $\rm [Fe/H]_{bulk}$ bins. In general, we find the trends in terms of [X/Fe] versus age from our far larger sample to be compatible with studies based on small (∼100 stars) samples of solar twins, but we now extend them to both sub- and supersolar metallicities. The α-elements show differing behaviour: the hydrostatic α-elements O and Mg show a steady decline with time for all metallicities, while the explosive α-elements Si, Ca, and Ti are nearly constant during the thin-disc epoch (ages $\lesssim \! 12$ Gyr). The s-process elements Y and Ba show increasing [X/Fe] with time while the r-process element Eu has the opposite trend, thus favouring a primary production from sources with a short time delay such as core-collapse supernovae over long-delay events such as neutron star mergers.

scholarly journals Observing the First Stars, One Star at a Time

2005 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 543-553
Author(s):  
Abraham Loeb
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Neutron Stars ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Gamma Ray Bursts ◽  
First Stars ◽  
New Era ◽  
The Many ◽  
High Redshift Universe

SummaryGamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are believed to originate in compact remnants (black holes or neutron stars) of massive stars. Their high luminosities make them detectable out to the edge of the visible universe. We describe the many advantages of GRB afterglows relative to quasars as probes of the intergalactic medium during the epoch of reionization. The Swift satellite, planned for launch by the end of 2004, will likely open a new era in observations of the high redshift universe.

scholarly journals Neutron star mergers and rare core-collapse supernovae as sources of r-process enrichment in simulated galaxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (4) ◽  
pp. 4867-4883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freeke van de Voort ◽  
Rüdiger Pakmor ◽  
Robert J J Grand ◽  
Volker Springel ◽  
Facundo A Gómez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Small Variation ◽  
Abundance Ratio ◽  
Core Collapse ◽  
Binary Neutron Star ◽  
Low Metallicity ◽  
Process Event ◽  
R Process ◽  
Process Elements

ABSTRACT We use cosmological, magnetohydrodynamical simulations of Milky Way-mass galaxies from the Auriga project to study their enrichment with rapid neutron capture (r-process) elements. We implement a variety of enrichment models from both binary neutron star mergers and rare core-collapse supernovae. We focus on the abundances of (extremely) metal-poor stars, most of which were formed during the first ∼Gyr of the Universe in external galaxies and later accreted on to the main galaxy. We find that the majority of metal-poor stars are r-process enriched in all our enrichment models. Neutron star merger models result in a median r-process abundance ratio, which increases with metallicity, whereas the median trend in rare core-collapse supernova models is approximately flat. The scatter in r-process abundance increases for models with longer delay times or lower rates of r-process-producing events. Our results are nearly perfectly converged, in part due to the mixing of gas between mesh cells in the simulations. Additionally, different Milky Way-mass galaxies show only small variation in their respective r-process abundance ratios. Current (sparse and potentially biased) observations of metal-poor stars in the Milky Way seem to prefer rare core-collapse supernovae over neutron star mergers as the dominant source of r-process elements at low metallicity, but we discuss possible caveats to our models. Dwarf galaxies that experience a single r-process event early in their history show highly enhanced r-process abundances at low metallicity, which is seen both in observations and in our simulations. We also find that the elements produced in a single event are mixed with ≈108 M⊙ of gas relatively quickly, distributing the r-process elements over a large region.

scholarly journals Neutron star mergers as sites of r-process nucleosynthesis and short gamma-ray bursts

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (13) ◽  
pp. 1842005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenta Hotokezaka ◽  
Paz Beniamini ◽  
Tsvi Piran
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Chemical Evolution ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Ultra Violet ◽  
Gamma Ray Bursts ◽  
Galactic Model ◽  
Multi Wavelength ◽  
R Process ◽  
Process Elements

Neutron star mergers have been long considered as promising sites of heavy [Formula: see text]-process nucleosynthesis. We overview the observational evidence supporting this scenario including: the total amount of [Formula: see text]-process elements in the galaxy, extreme metal-poor stars, geological radioactive elemental abundances, dwarf galaxies and short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs). Recently, the advanced LIGO and Virgo observatories discovered a gravitational-wave signal of a neutron star merger, GW170817, as well as accompanying multi-wavelength electromagnetic (EM) counterparts. The ultra-violet, optical and near infrared (n/R) observations point to [Formula: see text]-process elements that have been synthesized in the merger ejecta. The rate and ejected mass inferred from GW170817 and the EM counterparts are consistent with other observations. We however, find that, within the simple one zone chemical evolution models (based on merger rates with reasonable delay time distributions as expected from evolutionary models, or from observations of sGRBs), it is difficult to reconcile the current observations of the Eu abundance history of galactic stars for [Fe/H] [Formula: see text]. This implies that to account for the role of mergers in the galactic chemical evolution, we need a galactic model with multiple populations that have different spatial distributions and/or varying formation rates.

scholarly journals Gamma-Ray Emission Produced by r-process Elements from Neutron Star Mergers

2021 ◽  
Vol 919 (1) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Meng-Hua Chen ◽  
Li-Xin Li ◽  
Da-Bin Lin ◽  
En-Wei Liang
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Gamma Ray Emission ◽  
R Process ◽  
Process Elements

Long gamma-ray burst as a production site of r-process elements

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ko Nakamrua ◽  
Seiji Harikae ◽  
Toshitaka Kajino ◽  
Grant J. Mathews
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Gamma Ray Burst ◽  
Production Site ◽  
R Process ◽  
Process Elements

scholarly journals A line-binned treatment of opacities for the spectra and light curves from neutron star mergers

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (3) ◽  
pp. 4143-4171 ◽  
Author(s):  
C J Fontes ◽  
C L Fryer ◽  
A L Hungerford ◽  
R T Wollaeger ◽  
O Korobkin
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Radiation Transport ◽  
Electromagnetic Transients ◽  
Actinide Element ◽  
Structure Line ◽  
Spectral Simulations ◽  
R Process ◽  
Process Elements ◽  
Area Preserving

ABSTRACT The electromagnetic observations of GW170817 were able to dramatically increase our understanding of neutron star mergers beyond what we learned from gravitational waves alone. These observations provided insight on all aspects of the merger from the nature of the gamma-ray burst to the characteristics of the ejected material. The ejecta of neutron star mergers are expected to produce such electromagnetic transients, called kilonovae or macronovae. Characteristics of the ejecta include large velocity gradients, relative to supernovae, and the presence of heavy r-process elements, which pose significant challenges to the accurate calculation of radiative opacities and radiation transport. For example, these opacities include a dense forest of bound–bound features arising from near-neutral lanthanide and actinide elements. Here we investigate the use of fine-structure, line-binned opacities that preserve the integral of the opacity over frequency. Advantages of this area-preserving approach over the traditional expansion–opacity formalism include the ability to pre-calculate opacity tables that are independent of the type of hydrodynamic expansion and thus eliminate the computational expense of calculating opacities within radiation-transport simulations. Tabular opacities are generated for all 14 lanthanides as well as a representative actinide element, uranium. We demonstrate that spectral simulations produced with the line-binned opacities agree well with results produced with the more accurate continuous Monte Carlo Sobolev approach, as well as with the commonly used expansion–opacity formalism. The agreement between the line-binned and expansion–opacity results is explained as arising from the similarity in their opacities in the limit of low optical depth, where radiation transport is important in the ejecta. Additional investigations illustrate the convergence of opacity with respect to the number of included lines, and elucidate sensitivities to different atomic physics approximations, such as fully and semirelativistic approaches.

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