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Neutron star mergers eject neutron-rich matter in which heavy elements aresynthesised. The decay of these freshly synthesised elements powerselectromagnetic transients ("macronovae" or "kilonovae") whose luminosity andcolour strongly depend on their nuclear composition. If the ejecta are veryneutron-rich (electron fraction $Y_\mathrm{e} < 0.25$), they contain fairamounts of lanthanides and actinides which have large opacities and thereforeefficiently trap the radiation inside the ejecta so that the emission peaks inthe red part of the spectrum. Even small amounts of this high-opacity materialcan obscure emission from lower lying material and therefore act as a"lanthanide curtain". Here, we investigate how a relativistic jet that punchesthrough the ejecta can potentially push away a significant fraction of the highopacity material before the macronova begins to shine. We use the results ofdetailed neutrino-driven wind studies as initial conditions and explore with 3Dspecial relativistic hydrodynamic simulations how jets are propagating throughthese winds. Subsequently, we perform Monte Carlo radiative transfercalculations to explore the resulting macronova emission. We find that the holepunched by the jet makes the macronova brighter and bluer for on-axis observersduring the first few days of emission, and that more powerful jets have largerimpacts on the macronova.

Can jets make the radioactively powered emission from neutron star mergers bluer?