Postdoctoral Fellowship: AAPF: End-to-End Modeling of the Kilonova Zoo

Sanjana Curtis被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学奖学金，以在加州大学伯克利分校开展一项研究和教育计划。柯蒂斯将对基诺瓦进行模拟，这是与金等重元素合成有关的电磁瞬变。该项目的结果将建立一个强有力的理论理解基诺瓦和他们的祖先，以及为未来的多信使调查提供光明的曲线模板。在该项目的推广部分，柯蒂斯将制作两个主题的教育视频：1)元素周期表元素的天体物理起源故事，2)与科学家关于他们生命中的一天的对话。柯蒂斯将对合并紧凑双星产生的基诺瓦进行三维、端到端的模拟，弥合从合并模拟结束到基诺瓦阶段的差距。她将研究双星中子星和黑洞-中子星合并后的流出情况，以创建一个kironova动物园--一个包含kironova光曲线和光谱的数据库，这些光曲线和光谱覆盖了整个前驱星体的性质。将这些模型与过去和未来的千诺瓦观测进行比较，将使我们能够将千诺瓦与它们的祖先联系起来，限制合并流出的性质和成分，推断总的抛射质量，并揭示中子星合并是否是快速中子捕获过程的唯一地点。这个项目推进了NSF宇宙大理想之窗的目标。这一奖项反映了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。

Sanjana Curtis is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at UC Berkeley. Curtis will conduct simulations of kilonovae, which are electromagnetic transients related to the synthesis of heavy elements like gold. Results from this project will build a strong theoretical understanding of kilonovae and their progenitors, as well as provide light curve templates for future multi-messenger surveys. For the outreach component of the project, Curtis will make educational videos on two topics: 1) the astrophysical origin stories of the elements of the periodic table, and 2) conversations with scientists about a day in their life. Curtis will carry out three-dimensional, end-to-end simulations of kilonovae produced by merging compact binaries, bridging the gap that extends from the end of merger simulations to the kilonova phase. She will investigate outflows from both binary neutron star and black hole - neutron star mergers to create 'the kilonova zoo' -- a database of kilonova light curves and spectra spanning the landscape of progenitor properties. Comparison of these models with past and future kilonova observations will allow us to tie kilonovae to their progenitors, constrain the properties and composition of merger outflows, infer total ejecta masses, and reveal whether neutron star mergers are the only site of the rapid neutron-capture process. This project advances the goals of the NSF Windows on the Universe Big Idea.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.