This Project Grant award for $526,943.00 was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program. The award supports a three-year research project led by Northwestern University to investigate the role of collapsars (black hole-powered stellar explosions) in creating heavy elements such as gold and platinum. The key objectives are to: 1) constrain the origin of heavy elements, 2) understand the mechanisms of jet-powered hypernova explosions, 3) characterize the nature of multimessenger emission (gravitational waves and electromagnetic counterparts), and 4) determine the properties of black hole remnants. The research will combine neutrino transport numerical relativity simulations with 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations to model the stellar core collapse, black hole formation, and subsequent explosion and ejecta. The numerical models and multimessenger light curve atlas developed will be made publicly available to connect pre-collapse stellar structure to observable data. The project also aims to involve underrepresented minority students and reach broader public audiences through educational and outreach activities.
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