Brian Metzger
@bluekilonova
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Theoretical astrophysicist. Columbia University and the Flatiron Institute CCA. lover of all "things that go bump in the night". hopeless Cubs fan.
Manhattan, NY
Joined August 2017
Richard O'Shaughnessy doing the BBH merger interpretative dance (with an assist from @Dr_CMingarelli)
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Have scientists just seen their first "superkilonova"?@Columbia Professor Brian Metzger (@bluekilonova) helped other astronomers interpret their observations of the unexpected stellar event. https://t.co/PoRGn3EAqg
news.columbia.edu
Columbia Professor Brian Metzger helped other astronomers interpret their observations of the unexpected stellar event.
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our recent paper on evidence for a new site of heavy element creation. @anirudhpatel_ @chargedcurrent @FlatironInst @PhysicsColumbia
Magnetars, which have been around since before the solar system was created, could have been an early source of precious metals — like gold — on our planet, according to a study published in the Astrophysical Journal.
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With @bluekilonova and others, we discovered a new site of heavy element (r-process) nucleosynthesis! Main points nicely summarized below.
Gold, uranium and other heavy metals are only made in extreme cosmic environments. Now, #FlatironCCA astronomers have uncovered a new place where these elements are born — the giant flares of supermagnetized stars. https://t.co/yz8TYaHm4G
#science #astronomy
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https://t.co/cSueqGgVkF Direct evidence magnetar giant flares eject neutron star crust material capable of heavy element nucleosynthesis and associated kilonova-like signals . As the gamma-ray signal came from the 2004 giant flare, in some since this was the "first" kilonova.
simonsfoundation.org
Flares From Magnetized Stars Can Forge Planets’ Worth of Gold, Other Heavy Elements on Simons Foundation
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#FlatironCCA is hosting a Summer School on the Landscape of Astronomical Transients! This is a unique opportunity for PhD students to learn the physics of astronomical transients, while gaining hands-on experience in dealing with time-domain data from synoptic surveys. Learn
simonsfoundation.org
Summer School: The landscape of astronomical transients on Simons Foundation
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@ChairmanEdCox this is factually incorrect. the overwhelming majority of commuters to the congestion relief zone take transit and the small group that does choose to drive is disproportionately wealthy
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Congratulations to Assistant Prof. Raquel Queiroz on winning the 2025 Sloan Research Fellowship! The Sloan Fellowship is one of the most distinguished honors to be awarded to early-career scholars who exemplify the innovation of elite emerging scientists. Congratulations Raquel!
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this is a lie. the max throughput on the Tesla Tunnel is ~4,000 passengers/hr, and in reality probably is closer to 2,000 meanwhile the Lexington Avenue line of the NYC Subway can hit over 100k passengers/hr cars are simply an inefficient way to move many people
@shaunmmaguire The throughout in the Vegas tunnels is already better than an average subway btw. It’s a myth that subways are super efficient.
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Calling all astrophysicists interested in stars!✨Take our quick (<5 min) survey to share your experience with #MESA and help shape its future🚀 Not a MESA user? We'd love to hear about other stellar evolution codes too. Your insights are invaluable! 🔗 https://t.co/sIE6jKRLq7
docs.google.com
We invite you to participate in a brief survey (less than 5 minutes) about MESA and its applications in stellar physics. Your input is invaluable in helping us refine and enhance MESA to better serve...
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A prediction for future events is an optical/UV transient signal of similar luminosity ~1e39 erg/s and duration of ~10 min (mini-kilonova, or "nova brevis") that could detected with the naked eye (for Galactic flares) or with TOO follow-up of the gamma-ray trigger (extragalactic)
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Magnetars as a new r-process sources has several implications. Based on the giant flare rate and the mass yield of this event, we estimate they contribute ~1-10% of the total Galactic r-abundances, and provide a confirmed site that (unlike mergers) promptly tracks star-formation.
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Another piece of evidence comes from the measured gamma-ray spectrum. This too is consistent with the quasi-continuum shape + MeV cut-off obtains from a Doppler-broadened forest of radioactive gamma-ray decay lines.
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A 1st piece of evidence comes from the light curve rise-time ~1e3 s, set by how long the ejecta takes to become transparent to g-rays. The same r-process mass matches that needed to explain the total radiated energy, while the heating rate follows ~ t^-1.2, as in kilonovae.
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https://t.co/eP8QadEcC6 In work led by Ani Patel we found evidence, in an old unexplained gamma-ray signal, that the famous giant magnetar flare 20 years ago synthesized ~1e-6 Msun in r-process elements. With @chargedcurrent we've finally confirmed magnetars can "r-process".
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New work led by Amy Secunda and Yan-Fei Jiang @FlatironCCA, using multi-frequency radiation MHD simulations to test the physical basis of reverberation mapping in Active Galactic Nuclei. TLDR yes it should work, pretty well, but not in every circumstance. https://t.co/C2ZD5eUt4X
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if the media reported every single car accident with the same ferocity it reports on every single incident that happens on the MTA, you would be very happy the subway exists
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I've written a new (*fairly* brief!) review of planet formation, intended to introduce the theory section of a new edition of the Handbook of Exoplanets, and as a "read this first" review for students. Topics covered include (1) Protoplanetary disks (1/5) https://t.co/ZgBzsALK3U
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We are hiring postdocs and PhD students! We have openings for two postdocs (up to 5 yrs) to develop new methods for computer simulations of fluid dynamics in binary systems. Deadline is Jan 26 2025. For more details and application instructions see https://t.co/HlhyTCgJ1J
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