Heavy-element production in a compact object merger observed by JWST

Andrew J. Levan (), Benjamin P. Gompertz, Om Sharan Salafia, Mattia Bulla, Eric Burns, Kenta Hotokezaka, Luca Izzo, Gavin P. Lamb, Daniele B. Malesani, Samantha R. Oates, Maria Edvige Ravasio, Alicia Rouco Escorial, Benjamin Schneider, Nikhil Sarin, Steve Schulze, Nial R. Tanvir, Kendall Ackley, Gemma Anderson, Gabriel B. Brammer, Lise Christensen, Vikram S. Dhillon, Phil A. Evans, Michael Fausnaugh, Wen-fai Fong, Andrew S. Fruchter, Chris Fryer, Johan P. U. Fynbo, Nicola Gaspari, Kasper E. Heintz, Jens Hjorth, Jamie A. Kennea, Mark R. Kennedy, Tanmoy Laskar, Giorgos Leloudas, Ilya Mandel, Antonio Martin-Carrillo, Brian D. Metzger, Matt Nicholl, Anya Nugent, Jesse T. Palmerio, Giovanna Pugliese, Jillian Rastinejad, Lauren Rhodes, Andrea Rossi, Andrea Saccardi, Stephen J. Smartt, Heloise F. Stevance, Aaron Tohuvavohu, Alexander Horst, Susanna D. Vergani, Darach Watson, Thomas Barclay, Kornpob Bhirombhakdi, Elmé Breedt, Alice A. Breeveld, Alexander J. Brown, Sergio Campana, Ashley A. Chrimes, Paolo D’Avanzo, Valerio D’Elia, Massimiliano Pasquale, Martin J. Dyer, Duncan K. Galloway, James A. Garbutt, Matthew J. Green, Dieter H. Hartmann, Páll Jakobsson, Paul Kerry, Chryssa Kouveliotou, Danial Langeroodi, Emeric Floc’h, James K. Leung, Stuart P. Littlefair, James Munday, Paul O’Brien, Steven G. Parsons, Ingrid Pelisoli, David I. Sahman, Ruben Salvaterra, Boris Sbarufatti, Danny Steeghs, Gianpiero Tagliaferri, Christina C. Thöne, Antonio Ugarte Postigo and David Alexander Kann
Additional contact information
Andrew J. Levan: Radboud University
Benjamin P. Gompertz: University of Birmingham
Om Sharan Salafia: INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
Mattia Bulla: University of Ferrara
Eric Burns: Louisiana State University
Kenta Hotokezaka: The University of Tokyo
Luca Izzo: University of Copenhagen
Gavin P. Lamb: Liverpool John Moores University
Daniele B. Malesani: Radboud University
Samantha R. Oates: University of Birmingham
Maria Edvige Ravasio: Radboud University
Alicia Rouco Escorial: European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC)
Benjamin Schneider: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nikhil Sarin: Stockholm University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Steve Schulze: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Nial R. Tanvir: University of Leicester
Kendall Ackley: University of Warwick
Gemma Anderson: Curtin University
Gabriel B. Brammer: Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)
Lise Christensen: Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)
Vikram S. Dhillon: University of Sheffield
Phil A. Evans: University of Leicester
Michael Fausnaugh: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Wen-fai Fong: Northwestern University
Andrew S. Fruchter: Space Telescope Science Institute
Chris Fryer: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Johan P. U. Fynbo: Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)
Nicola Gaspari: Radboud University
Kasper E. Heintz: Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)
Jens Hjorth: University of Copenhagen
Jamie A. Kennea: The Pennsylvania State University
Mark R. Kennedy: University College Cork
Tanmoy Laskar: Radboud University
Giorgos Leloudas: Technical University of Denmark
Ilya Mandel: Monash University
Antonio Martin-Carrillo: University College Dublin
Brian D. Metzger: Columbia University
Matt Nicholl: Queen’s University Belfast
Anya Nugent: Northwestern University
Jesse T. Palmerio: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS
Giovanna Pugliese: University of Amsterdam
Jillian Rastinejad: Northwestern University
Lauren Rhodes: University of Oxford
Andrea Rossi: INAF - Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio
Andrea Saccardi: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS
Stephen J. Smartt: Queen’s University Belfast
Heloise F. Stevance: University of Oxford
Aaron Tohuvavohu: University of Toronto
Alexander Horst: The George Washington University
Susanna D. Vergani: GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS
Darach Watson: Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)
Thomas Barclay: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Kornpob Bhirombhakdi: Space Telescope Science Institute
Elmé Breedt: University of Cambridge
Alice A. Breeveld: University College London
Alexander J. Brown: University of Sheffield
Sergio Campana: INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
Ashley A. Chrimes: Radboud University
Paolo D’Avanzo: INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
Valerio D’Elia: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Space Science Data Center (SSDC)
Massimiliano Pasquale: University of Messina, Polo Papardo
Martin J. Dyer: University of Sheffield
Duncan K. Galloway: Monash University
James A. Garbutt: University of Sheffield
Matthew J. Green: Tel Aviv University
Dieter H. Hartmann: Clemson University
Páll Jakobsson: University of Iceland
Paul Kerry: University of Sheffield
Chryssa Kouveliotou: The George Washington University
Danial Langeroodi: University of Copenhagen
Emeric Floc’h: CEA, IRFU, DAp, AIM, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Paris Cité, CNRS
James K. Leung: Monash University
Stuart P. Littlefair: University of Sheffield
James Munday: University of Warwick
Paul O’Brien: University of Leicester
Steven G. Parsons: University of Sheffield
Ingrid Pelisoli: University of Warwick
David I. Sahman: University of Sheffield
Ruben Salvaterra: INAF IASF-Milano
Boris Sbarufatti: INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
Danny Steeghs: University of Warwick
Gianpiero Tagliaferri: INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
Christina C. Thöne: Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Antonio Ugarte Postigo: Université Côte d’Azur
David Alexander Kann: Goethe University Frankfurt, Campus Riedberg

Nature, 2024, vol. 626, issue 8000, 737-741

Abstract: Abstract The mergers of binary compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes are of central interest to several areas of astrophysics, including as the progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)1, sources of high-frequency gravitational waves (GWs)2 and likely production sites for heavy-element nucleosynthesis by means of rapid neutron capture (the r-process)3. Here we present observations of the exceptionally bright GRB 230307A. We show that GRB 230307A belongs to the class of long-duration GRBs associated with compact object mergers4–6 and contains a kilonova similar to AT2017gfo, associated with the GW merger GW170817 (refs. 7–12). We obtained James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopy 29 and 61 days after the burst. The spectroscopy shows an emission line at 2.15 microns, which we interpret as tellurium (atomic mass A = 130) and a very red source, emitting most of its light in the mid-infrared owing to the production of lanthanides. These observations demonstrate that nucleosynthesis in GRBs can create r-process elements across a broad atomic mass range and play a central role in heavy-element nucleosynthesis across the Universe.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06759-1

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