A Hubble Space Telescope Search for r-Process Nucleosynthesis in Gamma-ray Burst Supernovae

The existence of a secondary (in addition to compact object mergers) source of heavy element (r-process) nucleosynthesis, the core-collapse of rapidly-rotating and highly-magnetized massive stars, has been suggested by both simulations and indirect observational evidence. Here, we probe a predicted signature of r-process enrichment, a late-time (\gtrsim 40 days post-burst)... Show more