Workshop on Plasma Physics of Neutron Star Mergers

This award will provide partial support for a Workshop on Plasma Physics of Neutron Star Mergers scheduled to take place on October 1-3, 2018 at the Center for Computational Astrophysics of the Flatiron Institute in New York City, NY. This workshop will bring together experts in gravitational wave astrophysics and plasma physics to discuss key problems at the interface between these two traditionally disconnected fields, identify 'grand challenge' problems, and identify areas where significant progress could be made in the next 5-10 years. It is anticipated that substantial progress in addressing these scientific challenges will entail significant computational resources and new methodologies, so it is fitting that the Center for Computational Astrophysics has expressed interest in hosting the workshop.

The merger of neutron stars GW170817 has been the best observed astronomical event in recorded history, with LIGO detection triggering successful observations by 70 teams working in the gamma ray, x-ray, UV, optical, and radio bands. Close to 150 preprints dedicated to the merger appeared on the arXiv during the two days after the publication of the LIGO result in October 2017. The workshop is an opportunity to bring into this field the plasma physicists and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) experts that have the expertise to understand the plasma/MHD phenomena that are crucial for generating the fireworks in the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is expected that the workshop will have a large impact on both the plasma physics research and on the multi-messenger astrophysics of neutron star mergers. The outcome will include improved understanding of the environment for heavy element nucleosynthesis, which has been shown to be crucial for the chemical evolution of galaxies, and key input for design of future astronomical facilities and missions.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.