Angle-dependent in Situ Fast Flavor Transformations in Post-neutron-star-merger Disks
The remnant black hole–accretion disk system resulting from binary neutron star mergers has proven to be a promising site for synthesizing the heaviest elements via rapid neutron capture ( r -process). A critical factor in determining the full r -process pattern in these environments is the neutron...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/add0a7 |
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| author | Kelsey A. Lund Payel Mukhopadhyay Jonah M. Miller G. C. McLaughlin |
| author_facet | Kelsey A. Lund Payel Mukhopadhyay Jonah M. Miller G. C. McLaughlin |
| author_sort | Kelsey A. Lund |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The remnant black hole–accretion disk system resulting from binary neutron star mergers has proven to be a promising site for synthesizing the heaviest elements via rapid neutron capture ( r -process). A critical factor in determining the full r -process pattern in these environments is the neutron richness of the ejecta, which is strongly influenced by neutrino interactions. One key ingredient shaping these interactions is fast neutrino flavor conversions (FFCs), which arise due to angular crossings in neutrino distributions and occur on nanosecond timescales. We present the first three-dimensional in situ angle-dependent modeling of FFCs in postmerger disks, implemented within general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics with Monte Carlo neutrino transport. Our results reveal that, by suppressing electron neutrinos, FFCs more efficiently cool the disk and weaken the early thermally driven wind. Less releptonization due to electron neutrino absorption makes this cooler wind more neutron rich, producing a more robust r -process at higher latitudes of the outflow. This study underscores the necessity of incorporating FFCs in realistic simulations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7199e5cae84046c3867f31a2d4d7d555 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-7199e5cae84046c3867f31a2d4d7d5552025-08-20T03:49:27ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052025-01-019851L910.3847/2041-8213/add0a7Angle-dependent in Situ Fast Flavor Transformations in Post-neutron-star-merger DisksKelsey A. Lund0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0031-1397Payel Mukhopadhyay1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3954-2005Jonah M. Miller2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6432-7860G. C. McLaughlin3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6811-6657Department of Physics, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA ; klund@berkeley.edu; Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195, USADepartment of Physics, University of California , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA ; klund@berkeley.eduMichigan SPARC, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Computational Physics and Methods, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA; Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USADepartment of Physics, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, NC 27695, USAThe remnant black hole–accretion disk system resulting from binary neutron star mergers has proven to be a promising site for synthesizing the heaviest elements via rapid neutron capture ( r -process). A critical factor in determining the full r -process pattern in these environments is the neutron richness of the ejecta, which is strongly influenced by neutrino interactions. One key ingredient shaping these interactions is fast neutrino flavor conversions (FFCs), which arise due to angular crossings in neutrino distributions and occur on nanosecond timescales. We present the first three-dimensional in situ angle-dependent modeling of FFCs in postmerger disks, implemented within general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics with Monte Carlo neutrino transport. Our results reveal that, by suppressing electron neutrinos, FFCs more efficiently cool the disk and weaken the early thermally driven wind. Less releptonization due to electron neutrino absorption makes this cooler wind more neutron rich, producing a more robust r -process at higher latitudes of the outflow. This study underscores the necessity of incorporating FFCs in realistic simulations.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/add0a7NucleosynthesisNeutrino oscillationsCompact objects |
| spellingShingle | Kelsey A. Lund Payel Mukhopadhyay Jonah M. Miller G. C. McLaughlin Angle-dependent in Situ Fast Flavor Transformations in Post-neutron-star-merger Disks The Astrophysical Journal Letters Nucleosynthesis Neutrino oscillations Compact objects |
| title | Angle-dependent in Situ Fast Flavor Transformations in Post-neutron-star-merger Disks |
| title_full | Angle-dependent in Situ Fast Flavor Transformations in Post-neutron-star-merger Disks |
| title_fullStr | Angle-dependent in Situ Fast Flavor Transformations in Post-neutron-star-merger Disks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Angle-dependent in Situ Fast Flavor Transformations in Post-neutron-star-merger Disks |
| title_short | Angle-dependent in Situ Fast Flavor Transformations in Post-neutron-star-merger Disks |
| title_sort | angle dependent in situ fast flavor transformations in post neutron star merger disks |
| topic | Nucleosynthesis Neutrino oscillations Compact objects |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/add0a7 |
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