The Governing Council of the University of Toronto

Published purpose

Following the JWST ERS and Cycle 1 GO Announcement of Opportunity published on June 14, 2021, the CSA is providing funding via a Grant Agreement to the university to conduct their research using the JWST data. Gravitational wave and optical/infrared detections of the binary neutron star merger GW170817/AT2017gfo revealed the astrophysical site of heavy element production via rapid neutron capture (the r-process). Emission from a "kilonova" powered by the radioactive decay of these elements was used to infer the bulk abundances of r-process species and a handful of lighter elements in its outer layers, but we still have no "smoking gun" evidence that any specific heavy elements, especially lanthanides (Z>57), were produced in the ejecta. This proposal will take advantage of the unique capabilities of JWST to obtain infrared spectra of a kilonova at late times in order to search for direct signatures of heavy element production.