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Assess the event-level capability of neutron star mergers to enrich star-forming gas

Determine the fraction of neutron star mergers that occur sufficiently early and in environments conducive to enriching star-forming gas before the next star-forming episode within their host galaxies.

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Background

Due to long delay times and natal kicks, neutron star mergers can occur in environments with little ongoing star formation or at large galactocentric offsets, which may prevent r-process ejecta from enriching new stars. Establishing the fraction of mergers that actually enrich star-forming gas is crucial for linking observed events to stellar r-process abundances.

References

It therefore remains unclear what fraction of NS mergers are capable of enriching star-forming gas before the next possible star-forming period within their hosts.

— Where has all the $r$-process gone? Timescales for GRB-Kilonovae to Enrich their Host Galaxies (2410.00095 - Nugent et al., 30 Sep 2024) in Section 1. INTRODUCTION