Do collapsars create the heaviest elements?
Abstract
The origin of half of the elements heavier than iron- the so-called r-process elements including gold and uranium, is a central unsolved mystery in astrophysics. Recent observations utilising light and gravitational waves have demonstrated that at least some of these elements are formed through the merger of two neutron stars, but such a population struggles to reproduce the enrichment seen early in the lives of some of the oldest, lowest metallicity stars. Instead, recent work implies that the accretion discs formed in the stellar collapse that powers a long duration gamma-ray burst could in-fact be a dominant site. The signature of their creation is a late time infrared component visible on top of the associated supernova light. The extreme opacities of some elements mean this could peak in the mid-IR, and it is at these wavelengths that the contrast between a cool r-process dominated component and a hotter, 'normal' supernova is at its largest. We propose to search for this component with Spitzer observations of the recently detected, local (z=0.08) long GRB 190829A (supported by approved optical/nIR observations with the VLT and HST). These observations provide the first and only opportunity for Spitzer to test if collapsars create very heavy elements.
- Publication:
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Spitzer Proposal
- Pub Date:
- September 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019sptz.prop14317L