COSMIC GOLD: Neutron Star Mergers, Gravitational Waves, & the Origin of the Heavy Elements

Scientists have recently developed an entirely new way to “see” the universe: using gravitational waves predicted by Einstein nearly a century ago. These waves can teach us about some of the most exotic objects known, including black holes and neutron stars. Remarkably, they have also helped solve a longstanding puzzle about where in the universe some of the elements we know and love here on Earth are produced, including gold, platinum, uranium, and even californium!

Speaker: Astronomer Eliot Quataert will describe the remarkable new results coming out of our first steps into the gravitational wave era of cosmic exploration.