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
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The precise atomic structure and therefore the wavelength-dependent opacities of lanthanides are highly uncertain. This uncertainty introduces systematic errors in modeling transients like kilonovae and estimating key properties such as mass, characteristic velocity, and heavy metal content. Here, we quantify how atomic data from across the literature as well as choices of thermalization efficiency of
- Award ID(s):
- 2221789
- PAR ID:
- 10563400
- Publisher / Repository:
- ApJ
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 975
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 213
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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