HARM3D+NUC: A new method for simulating the post-merger phase of binary neutron star mergers with GRMHD, tabulated EOS and neutrino leakage

Understand

The first binary neutron star merger has already been detected in gravitational waves.

• The signal was accompanied by an electromagnetic counterpart including a kilonova component powered by the decay of radioactive nuclei, as well as a short $\gamma$-ray burst.
• In order to understand the radioactively-powered signal, it is necessary to simulate the outflows and their nucleosynthesis from the post-merger disk.
• Simulating the disk and predicting the composition of the outflows requires general relativistic magnetohydrodynamical (GRMHD) simulations that include a realistic, finite-temperature equation of state (EOS) and self-consistently calculating the impact of neutrinos.