Unfolding the Dynamic and Colorful Lives of Compact Object Mergers

The mergers of two compact objects (neutron stars and/or black holes) in a binary system serve as signposts of gravitational wave emission, sites of heavy element nucleosynthesis, and laboratories for high-energy astrophysical processes not seen elsewhere in the universe. With the onset of the advanced era of gravitational wave detectors, the field has rapidly transformed from one of planning to one of discovery. The proposers will capitalize on this newfound and guaranteed stream of data to detect and characterize electromagnetic signals from compact object mergers. They will make their research accessible in a novel way through a partnership with Evanston Township High School and its on-campus planetarium. The planetarium will be used as a venue for showing a new, research-based planetarium show, and involve the community at the middle school, high school, and professional researcher levels.