Cosmic Alchemy: How Neutron Star Smash-Ups Forge Heavy Atoms

Enrico Ramirez Ruiz
UC Santa Cruz

Darwin 103
4:00 PM

The source of about half of the heaviest elements in the Universe has been a mystery for a long time. The key may lie in the collision of neutron stars—violent, energetic, and unusual events that we are now beginning to observe. Dr. Enrico Ramirez Ruiz of UC Santa Cruz will present a talk focusing on recent advances in our understanding of the origin of the heaviest and rarest elements in the Universe.