MPP Colloquium

Signals From Neutron-Star Mergers and GW170817

by Prof. Thomas Janka (MPA)

Europe/Berlin
MPI Meeting rooms

MPI Meeting rooms

Description
GW170817 is the first measurement of a gravitational-wave signal from a binary neutron-star merger. Its association with an atypical short gamma-ray burst (GRB170817A) and the broadband electromagnetic emission of a "kilonova" (AT2017gfo) marks the beginning of multi-messenger astronomy with such sources. The kilonova signal is compatible with predictions for a radioactively heated cloud of ejecta carrying heavy trans-iron elements. It thus confirms long-standing expectations that neutron-star mergers are an important, possibly even the main cosmic source of rapid neutron-capture elements. The talk will review the observations compared to model predictions and will sketch the grand perspectives connected to future theoretical work and a growing pool of measured signals.