The mergers of double neutron star (NS–NS) and black hole (BH)–NS binaries are promising gravitational wave (GW) sources for Advanced LIGO and future GW detectors. The neutron-rich ejecta from such merger events undergoes rapid neutron capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis, enriching our Galaxy with rare heavy elements like gold and platinum. The radioactive decay of these unstable nuclei also powers a rapidly evolving, supernova-like transient known as a “kilonova” (also known as “macronova”). Kilonovae are an approximately isotropic electromagnetic counterpart to the GW signal, which also provides a unique and direct probe of an important, if not dominant, r-process site. I review the history and physics of kilonovae, leading to the current paradigm of week-long emission with a spectral peak at near-infrared wavelengths. Using a simple light curve model to illustrate the basic physics, I introduce potentially important variations on this canonical picture, including: \(\sim \)day-long optical (“blue”) emission from lanthanide-free components of the ejecta; \(\sim \)hour-long precursor UV/blue emission, powered by the decay of free neutrons in the outermost ejecta layers; and enhanced emission due to energy input from a long-lived central engine, such as an accreting BH or millisecond magnetar. I assess the prospects of kilonova detection following future GW detections of NS–NS/BH–NS mergers in light of the recent follow-up campaign of the LIGO binary BH–BH mergers.

中文翻译：

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基洛诺娃

双中子星（NS–NS）和黑洞（BH）–NS双星的合并为先进的LIGO和未来的GW探测器带来了有希望的引力波（GW）源。此类合并事件产生的富含中子的弹射物经历了快速的中子捕获（r过程）核合成，使我们的银河富集了稀有的重元素​​，例如金和铂。这些不稳定原子核的放射性衰变也促进了迅速发展的类似超新星的瞬变，被称为“基洛诺娃”（也称为“超新星”）。千伏新星是GW信号的近似各向同性的电磁对应物，它还为重要的（如果不是主要的）r提供了独特而直接的探测。处理站点。我回顾了千新星的历史和物理学，得出了目前为期一周的发射范例，该光谱的峰值在近红外波长处。使用简单的光曲线模型说明基本物理学，我介绍在此典型图象潜在的重要变化，包括：\（\ SIM \）一天的光（“蓝”）从喷出物的游离镧系元素成分发射; \（\ sim \）由最外层喷射层中的自由中子衰变提供动力，持续一小时的前体紫外线/蓝色辐射；以及由于寿命长的中央发动机（例如不断增加的BH或毫秒磁石）输入的能量而导致的排放增加。根据LIGO二元BH-BH合并的近期跟踪活动，我评估了在将来GW检测到NS-NS / BH-NS合并之后的千空发现的前景。