Anna Frebel
Professor of Physics / MIT
Friday, January 26, 2018
11:00am
We are made from star stuff -- but how exactly? I will describe how elements up to and including iron are made in fusion processes within the hot cores of stars, and how all the heavier elements are synthesized in neutron-capture processes. There are a several astrophysical sites where neutron-capture can take place, including neutron star mergers. The LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave observatories recently detected the signal of a neutron star merger. The subsequent "kilonova" afterglow was detected across the electromagnetic spectrum. It was the result of an enormous production of heavy elements during the merger.
Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, NW17
Cambridge, MA 02139
info@psfc.mit.edu
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