Neutrino-matter interactions in neutron star mergers

by Dr Sanjana Curtis (NCSU)

Wednesday 7 Aug 2019, 16:00 → 17:00 Europe/Berlin

Abbeanum/Ground floor-HS 2 - Hörsaal 2 (TPI, FSU Jena)

Understanding the electromagnetic signal from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers, and the underlying r-process nucleosynthesis, requires an accurate treatment of neutrino transport in merger models. Since full Boltzmann transport is prohibitively expensive, simulations have so far relied on approximate transport schemes. In order to understand how to interpret simulation results, we need to understand the errors associated with these schemes. To this end, I use the time-independent Monte Carlo neutrino transport code Sedonu to calculate the neutrino distribution function, along with the heating and pair-annihilation rates, for a number of post-merger snapshots. The snapshots are taken from dynamical merger simulations with M0 transport, spanning a range of binary mass ratios, equations of state and merger outcomes. I will compare our results to those obtained with M0 transport for the same set of weak reactions. I will also present our full calculations that include, for the first time, the effects of inelastic neutrino-electron scattering in the merger case. This work constitutes an essential step towards understanding the r-process nucleosynthesis in BNS mergers.