Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help
HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne
HK 25: Nuclear Astrophysics III
HK 25.1: Group Report
Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 13:45–14:15, PHIL A 602
Collisional Radiative Data for non-LTE Kilonova Radiative Transfer — •Andreas Flörs1, Ricardo Silva2, and Gabriel Martínez-Pinedo1 — 1GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany — 2Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas (LIP), Lisboa, Portugal
Recent infrared spectroscopy from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has transformed kilonova studies, with detailed nebular-phase spectra now available for AT 2023vfi, the second spectroscopically observed kilonova and the counterpart to GRB 230307A. Observations reveal rich mid-infrared emission, with features tentatively attributed to r-process elements such as tellurium. These data extend well beyond what was possible for the first kilonova AT2017gfo and highlight the need for robust atomic and collisional data to interpret kilonova spectra in the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) regime.
Non-LTE radiative transfer modelling of kilonovae relies on comprehensive collisional-radiative datasets, including electron impact excitation and forbidden transitions for heavy ions. In this talk, I will present calibrated large-scale collisional-radiative atomic structure calculations for lanthanide ions, and show how their inclusion in radiative transfer models improves agreement with JWST observations of AT2023vfi. These results enable more robust elemental abundance determinations and provide new constraints on r-process nucleosynthesis.
AF and GMP acknowledge support by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC Advanced Grant KILONOVA No. 885281).
Keywords: Atomic Structure; Neutron Star Mergers; Kilonova; R-Process; Radiative Transfer