Blanka VilágosPhD student

My PhD topic is spectral modeling of kilonovae. The mergers of two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole are thought to produce the heaviest elements in the Universe via the r-process. Kilonovae are the optical transients related to these mergers, lighted up by the radioactive decay of the heavy elements created. The community is searching for these events with the help of gravitational waves and gamma-ray bursts, opening the era of multi-messenger astronomy.

 

In order to understand the spectra that we observe, there is a need for numerical models. Based on realistic, three dimensional merger simulations, my task will be to produce models that predict how the light propagates in such an exotic material and what spectrum we may see.

 

I have previously also worked on barium stars (related to AGB stars and the s-process), and the galactic chemical evolution of the Milky Way.