WoU-MMA: Role of the Dynamo Effect in Neutron Star Mergers

中子星是宇宙中最壮观的致密天体之一，当它们合并时，它们会发射出强大的喷流，几乎以光速移动。为了预测这些喷流的形成，有必要了解在中子星合并过程中伴随的磁场是如何自发产生的。目前的奖项将集中于所谓的“发电机效应”，它解释了湍流中出现磁场的原因。了解发电机效应的作用对于我们理解多信使天体物理源是至关重要的，从而解决美国国家科学基金会“宇宙之窗：多信使天体物理时代”的目标。发射天体物理喷气所需的磁场可能至少在两个地方产生：当中子星第一次接触时，在它们之间的剪切层中；如果残余物是黑洞，则在合并后立即的吸积物质流中产生。这项工作的目的是从第一性原理解释合并前阶段开尔文-亥姆霍兹不稳定性产生的发电机，以及合并后阶段磁致旋转不稳定性和瑞利-泰勒不稳定性所产生的发电机。该奖项还将支持与普林斯顿博士前奖学金计划的合作，加强普林斯顿大学与美国物理学会桥梁计划的当前合作伙伴关系，并允许本科生参与协同研究项目。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

When neutron stars, which are some of the most spectacular compact objects in the Universe, merge, they launch powerful jets that move nearly at the speed of light. To predict the formation of these jets, it is necessary to understand how accompanying magnetic fields are spontaneously produced during neutron star mergers. The present award will focus on the so-called “dynamo effect,” which accounts for the emergence of magnetic fields from turbulence. Understanding the role of the dynamo effect is crucial for our understanding of multi-messenger astrophysical sources and thus addresses goals of NSF's "Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics".The magnetic field necessary for launching astrophysical jets may be generated in at least two locations: in the shear layer between the neutron stars when they first come into contact, and, if the remnant is a black hole, in the flow of accreting material immediately following the merger. The goal of this effort is to elucidate from first principles the dynamo produced by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in the pre-merger phase, and the magnetorotational instability and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the post-merger phase. The award will also support engagement with the Princeton Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Initiative, strengthen the current partnership of Princeton University with the American Physical Society Bridge Program, and enable involvement of undergraduates in synergistic research projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.