JWST detection of heavy neutron capture elements in a compact object merger
Research Square (Research Square)(2023)
摘要
The mergers of binary compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes
are of central interest to several areas of astrophysics, including as the
progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), sources of high-frequency gravitational
waves and likely production sites for heavy element nucleosynthesis via rapid
neutron capture (the r-process). These heavy elements include some of great
geophysical, biological and cultural importance, such as thorium, iodine and
gold. Here we present observations of the exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst
GRB 230307A. We show that GRB 230307A belongs to the class of long-duration
gamma-ray bursts associated with compact object mergers, and contains a
kilonova similar to AT2017gfo, associated with the gravitational-wave merger
GW170817. We obtained James Webb Space Telescope mid-infrared (mid-IR) imaging
and spectroscopy 29 and 61 days after the burst. The spectroscopy shows an
emission line at 2.15 microns which we interpret as tellurium (atomic mass
A=130), and a very red source, emitting most of its light in the mid-IR due to
the production of lanthanides. These observations demonstrate that
nucleosynthesis in GRBs can create r-process elements across a broad atomic
mass range and play a central role in heavy element nucleosynthesis across the
Universe.
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关键词
heavy neutron capture elements,jwst detection
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