Nucleosynthesis, neutrino bursts and γ-rays from coalescing neutron stars
Abstract
NEUTRON-STAR collisions occur inevitably when binary neutron stars spiral into each other as a result of damping of gravitational radiation. Such collisions will produce a characteristic burst of gravitational radiation, which may be the most promising source of a detectable signal for proposed gravity-wave detectors1. Such signals are sufficiently unique and robust for them to have been proposed as a means of determining the Hubble constant2. However, the rate of these neutron-star collisions is highly uncertain3. Here we note that such events should also synthesize neutron-rich heavy elements, thought to be formed by rapid neutron capture (the r-process)4. Furthermore, these collisions should produce neutrino bursts5 and resultant bursts of γ-rays the latter should comprise a subclass of observable γ-ray bursts. We argue that observed r-process abundances and γ-ray-burst rates predict rates for these collisions that are both significant and consistent with other estimates.
- Publication:
-
Nature
- Pub Date:
- July 1989
- DOI:
- 10.1038/340126a0
- Bibcode:
- 1989Natur.340..126E
- Keywords:
-
- Gamma Ray Bursts;
- Neutrinos;
- Neutron Stars;
- Nuclear Fusion;
- Binary Stars;
- Gravitational Effects;
- Gravity Waves;
- Hubble Constant;
- Pulsars;
- Astrophysics