The Effect of the Velocity Distribution on Kilonova Emission

Chris L. Fryer; Aimee L. Hungerford; Ryan T. Wollaeger; Jonah M. Miller; Soumi De; Christopher J. Fontes; Oleg Korobkin; Atul Kedia; Marko Ristic; Richard O’Shaughnessy

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad1036

The Astrophysical Journal (Jan 2024)

The Effect of the Velocity Distribution on Kilonova Emission

Chris L. Fryer,
Aimee L. Hungerford,
Ryan T. Wollaeger,
Jonah M. Miller,
Soumi De,
Christopher J. Fontes,
Oleg Korobkin,
Atul Kedia,
Marko Ristic,
Richard O’Shaughnessy

Affiliations

Chris L. Fryer: ORCiD; Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; [email protected]; Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA; The University of Arizona , Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of New Mexico , Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; The George Washington University , Washington, DC 20052, USA
Aimee L. Hungerford: ORCiD; Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; [email protected]; Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics—Center for the Evolution of the Elements , USA; Computational Physics Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
Ryan T. Wollaeger: ORCiD; Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; [email protected]; Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
Jonah M. Miller: ORCiD; Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; [email protected]; Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
Soumi De: ORCiD; Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; [email protected]; Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
Christopher J. Fontes: ORCiD; Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; [email protected]; Computational Physics Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
Oleg Korobkin: ORCiD; Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; [email protected]; Theory Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
Atul Kedia: ORCiD; Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA
Marko Ristic: ORCiD; Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA
Richard O’Shaughnessy: ORCiD; Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1036
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 961, no. 1
p. 9

Abstract

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The electromagnetic emission from the nonrelativistic ejecta launched in neutron star mergers (either dynamically or through a disk wind) has the potential to probe both the total mass and composition of this ejecta. These observations are crucial in understanding the role of these mergers in the production of r -process elements in the Universe. However, many properties of the ejecta can alter the light curves and we must both identify which properties play a role in shaping this emission and understand the effects these properties have on the emission before we can use observations to place strong constraints on the amount of r -process elements produced in the merger. This paper focuses on understanding the effect of the velocity distribution (amount of mass moving at different velocities) for lanthanide-rich ejecta on the light curves and spectra. The simulations use distributions guided by recent calculations of disk outflows and compare the velocity-distribution effects to those of ejecta mass, velocity, and composition. Our comparisons show that uncertainties in the velocity distribution can lead to a factor of 2–4 uncertainties in the inferred ejecta mass based on peak infrared luminosities. We also show that early-time UV or optical observations may be able to constrain the velocity distribution, reducing the uncertainty in the ejecta mass.

Published in The Astrophysical Journal

ISSN: 1538-4357 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Astronomy: Astrophysics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X

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