OPACITIES AND SPECTRA OF THE<i>r</i>-PROCESS EJECTA FROM NEUTRON STAR MERGERS
OPACITIES AND SPECTRA OF THE<i>r</i>-PROCESS EJECTA FROM NEUTRON STAR MERGERS
Material ejected during (or immediately following) the merger of two neutron stars may assemble into heavy elements by the r-process. The subsequent radioactive decay of the nuclei can power electromagnetic emission similar to, but significantly dimmer than, an ordinary supernova. Identifying such events is an important goal of future transient …