The publication is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed academic journals in the field of astronomy and astrophysics, published by the Institute of Physics’ IOS Publishing on behalf of the American Astronomical Society. It shares the most significant new research relevant to astrophysical applications.
Hamilton’s research explores nuclear isomers and how they affect the radioactive signals produced after neutron-star mergers.
“When neutron stars collide, they create many of the heaviest elements in the universe,” Hamilton said. “Our study shows that some of the atomic nuclei formed in these collisions may release distinctive gamma rays hours or days later. Detecting these signals could help us understand how heavy elements are made and provide a new way to study neutron-star mergers.
“This research asks a simple but important question: Can unusual atomic nuclei created in neutron-star collisions leave signals that we can detect? Our results suggest that they can. This gives us a new way to study how the universe produces heavy elements.”
Hamilton said she is proud that this work was carried out at Marshall University.
“It shows how our faculty can bring together researchers from national laboratories and undergraduate students to combine fundamental physics and advanced computation in addressing questions of broad scientific interest,” she said.
For more information about Marshall’s Department of Mathematics and Physics, visit https://www.marshall.edu/cos/math-physics/.