This session aims to bring together a diverse range of experts to promote discussion on the interpretation of kilonovae, to establish what we already think we know from existing observations, what remains unexplained, and what more we can hope to learn from further study - both from observation and theory.

Since the detection of the first spectroscopically confirmed kilonova event by the coincident detection of gravitational waves, gamma rays and UVOIR radiation (GW170817/GRB170817A/AT2017gfo), numerous studies have contributed to advancing our understanding of the explosive, fast-evolving kilonova transients resulting from binary neutron star mergers. The neutron-rich conditions enable the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) to take place, the nucleosynthetic pathway responsible for the production of around half of all elements heavier than iron in the Universe. The extensive observations of AT2017gfo (in addition to other proposed kilonova events) in principle provide insights into r-process nucleosynthesis as well as the high-density equation of state. However, these observations must be interpreted to constrain both r-process nucleosynthesis and high-density physics; such work is still ongoing.

Key goals of this session include establishing what is needed to advance our understanding of kilonovae, how well r-process abundances can be constrained (and the extent to which kilonovae are responsible for enriching the Universe with r-process elements), and whether constraints can be placed on high-density physics.

Programme

• Multi-messenger observations and their interpretation
• Kilonova radiative transfer simulations
• Binary neutron star merger simulations
• Atomic data of relevant r-process species for modelling kilonovae
• r-process nucleosynthesis

Invited speakers

• Masaru Shibata
• Silvia Piranomonte
• Connor Ballance
• Masaomi Tanaka
• Jillian Rastinejad

Scientific organisers

• Christine Collins (Trinity College Dublin)
• James Gillanders (University of Oxford)
• Oliver Just (GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research)
• Mattia Bulla (University of Ferrara)
• Janet Ting-Wan Chen (National Central University, Taiwan)
• Cathy Ramsbottom (Queen's University Belfast)

Contact

ccollins @ tcd.ie