Kilo nova and Stellar Nucleosynthesis
Josiah Baker
Department of Chemistry and Physics
LeTourneau University
11:00 am, March 2, 2023,
Glaske C101
LeTourneau University
Longview, TX
Stellar nucleosynthesis is the process that stars use to forge heavier elements in their cores. Up until a decade ago, most of the periodic table was accounted for with this process. However, the heaviest elements were still in question. Theoretically, an event know as a kilonova could provide the ideal spot for heavier element creation, but none had been observed. That all changed in 2017 when gravity waves (a very recent discovery) and a gamma ray burst revealed the first detectable kilonova. Did it confirm the hypothesis? Come and find out.
