Exploring composition mixing in kilonova ejecta with ray-by-ray simulations
Does the internal “stirring” of the ejecta from binary neutron star mergers change the heavy elements it forges? Using ray-by-ray radiation-hydrodynamic simulations with an online nuclear network, I show that composition mixing leaves the r-process yields and kilonova light curves essentially unchanged. Read the full study in Physical Review D. arXiv: 2601.02600.