From Engine to Eyeball: How end-to-end modeling can help us understand multi-messenger signals from neutron star mergers

The 2017 detection of the in-spiral and merger of two neutron stars was a landmark discovery in astrophysics. Through a wealth of multi-messenger data, we now know that the merger of these ultracompact stellar remnants is a central engine of short gamma ray bursts and a site of r-process nucleosynthesis, where the heaviest elements in our universe are formed. The radioactive decay of unstable heavy elements produced in such mergers powers an optical and infra-red transient: The kilonova. In this talk I will describe the modeling that goes in to interpreting signals from a neutron star merger observation, including the numerical relativity modeling of the binary in-spiral and its aftermath, the importance of neutrino transport and magnetohydrodynamics, and the nuclear reaction and radiation transport modeling required to generate synthetic observables. I will also touch on my own work with this year's Bethe prize recipient, Chris Fryer, and how he has helped shape the field.