Astrophysical Sciences and Technology Colloquium
From Mergers to Magnetars: Quest for the Origin of the Heaviest Elements
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Dr. Brian Metzger
Columbia University and Flatiron Institute
Event Details: Roughly half of the elements heavier than iron are forged in explosive neutron-rich environments through the rapid neutron-capture (r-) process. The kilonova following GW170817 established binary neutron star mergers as a major r-process site, yet abundances in low-metallicity stars suggest additional sources are needed. In mergers, heavy elements form in neutron-rich outflows from accretion disks around newly formed black holes. Similar conditions arise in collapsars—the explosions of massive, rapidly rotating stars—whose disks may become gravitationally unstable, fragmenting into low-mass (sub-solar) neutron stars that merge hierarchically and produce distinctive multi-messenger signals. Magnetar giant flares offer another pathway: new evidence from the 2004 Galactic flare indicates r-process synthesis occured in neutron-rich crustal material ejected during the flare. This scenario also predicts brief UV/optical “mini-kilonovae” detectable from future giant flares with upcoming missions such as ULTRASAT and UVEX.
Bio: Brian Metzger received his B.S. at the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley in 2009. He held a NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellowship at Princeton, before joining the Columbia Department of Physics in 2013, where he is currently a full professor. He is also a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute. His recognitions include the Sloan Fellowship; New Horizons Breakthrough Prize in Physics; the Bruno Rossi Prize of the American Astronomical Society; and the 2020 Laureate of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists.
Intended Audience: All are Welcome!
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