Speaker
Almudena Arcones
(TU Darmstadt and GSI)
Description
The heaviest elements form by the rapid neutron capture process (r-process) in neutron star mergers and rare core-collapse supernovae. The light curve of the kilonova following the neutron star merger GW170817 showed indications of heavy elements being produced and direct observation of Strontium. This talk will report on recent breakthroughs in understanding the extreme environment in which the formation of the heavy elements occurs, as well as open questions regarding the astrophysics and nuclear physics involved.
Primary author
Almudena Arcones
(TU Darmstadt and GSI)
