Microscopic mass estimations

The quest to build a mass formula which have in it the most relevant microscopic contributions is analyzed. Inspired in the successful Duflo-Zuker mass description, the challenges to describe the shell closures in a more transparent but equally powerful formalism are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics G, Focus issue on Open Problems in Nuclear Structure Theor

How good are the Garvey-Kelson predictions of nuclear masses?

The Garvey-Kelson relations are used in an iterative process to predict nuclear masses in the neighborhood of nuclei with measured masses. Average errors in the predicted masses for the first three iteration shells are smaller than those obtained with the best nuclear mass models. Their quality is comparable with the Audi-Wapstra extrapolations, offering a simple and reproducible procedure for short range mass predictions. A systematic study of the way the error grows as a function of the iteration and the distance to the known masses region, shows that a correlation exists between the error and the residual neutron-proton interaction, produced mainly by the implicit assumption that $V_{np}$ varies smoothly along the nuclear landscape.Comment: 10 pages, 18 figure

NUCLEAR MASSES AND THEIR IMPACT IN R-PROCESS NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

During the present Thesis, the role of the nuclear masses in r-process nucleosynthesis calculations have been explored. In order to accomplish this goal, we have computed neutron capture rates in the framework of the statistical model for all relevant nuclei in the r-process regime, to be more specific, nuclei ranging from Zn (Z=30) to Bi (Z=83) and contained inside the model dependent driplines. We have use the currently available mass models that best reproduce the known masses with a root mean square deviation smaller than RMSD<600 keV. This include the following set of mass models: Finite Range Droplet Model (FRDM), Weizsäcker-Skyrme model (WS3) and two variants of the Duflo-Zuker mass model, namely DZ10 and DZ31. The thermodynamical conditions were taken from hydrodynamical simulations corresponding to high entropy neutrino winds from core collapse supernovae (SNe) and Neutron star mergers(NSM)

On the nuclear robustness of the r process in neutron-star mergers

We have performed r-process calculations for matter ejected dynamically in neutron star mergers based on a complete set of trajectories from a three-dimensional relativistic smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulation. Our calculations consider an extended nuclear network, including spontaneous, $\beta$- and neutron-induced fission and adopting fission yield distributions from the ABLA code. We have studied the sensitivity of the r-process abundances to nuclear masses by using different models. Most of the trajectories, corresponding to 90% of the ejected mass, follow a relatively slow expansion allowing for all neutrons to be captured. The resulting abundances are very similar to each other and reproduce the general features of the observed r-process abundance (the second and third peaks, the rare-earth peak and the lead peak) for all mass models as they are mainly determined by the fission yields. We find distinct differences in the abundance yields at and just above the third peak, which can be traced back to different predictions of neutron separation energies for r-process nuclei around neutron number $N=130$. The remaining trajectories, which contribute 10% by mass to the total integrated abundances, follow such a fast expansion that the r process does not use all the neutrons. This also leads to a larger variation of abundances among trajectories as fission does not dominate the r-process dynamics. The total integrated abundances are dominated by contributions from the slow abundances and hence reproduce the general features of the observed r-process abundances. We find that at timescales of weeks relevant for kilonova light curve calculations, the abundance of actinides is larger than the one of lanthanides. Hence actinides can be even more important than lanthanides to determine the photon opacities under kilonova conditions. (Abridged)Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, resubmitted to PRC addressing referee comment

The anatomy of the simplest Duflo-Zuker mass formula

The simplest version of the Duflo-Zuker mass model (due entirely to the late Jean Duflo) is described by following step by step the published computer code. The model contains six macroscopic monopole terms leading asymptotically to a Liquid Drop form, three microscopic terms supposed to mock configuration mixing (multipole) corrections to the monopole shell effects, and one term in charge of detecting deformed nuclei and calculating their masses. A careful analysis of the model suggests a program of future developments that includes a complementary approach to masses based on an independently determined monopole Hamiltonian, a better description of deformations and specific suggestions for the treatment of three body forces.Comment: 30 pages, 21 figures, extensives changes to improve presentation and clarity, with an ample discussion of the anomalous term. Accepted for publication in Nuclear Physics

Behavior of early warnings near the critical temperature in the two-dimensional Ising model

Among the properties that are common to complex systems, the presence of critical thresholds in the dynamics of the system is one of the most important. Recently, there has been interest in the universalities that occur in the behavior of systems near critical points. These universal properties make it possible to estimate how far a system is from a critical threshold. Several early-warning signals have been reported in time series representing systems near catastrophic shifts. The proper understanding of these early-warnings may allow the prediction and perhaps control of these dramatic shifts in a wide variety of systems. In this paper we analyze this universal behavior for a system that is a paradigm of phase transitions, the Ising model. We study the behavior of the early-warning signals and the way the temporal correlations of the system increase when the system is near the critical point.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to PLOS ONE on Oct. 20th 2014. PONE-D-14-4718

Nuclear masses and the number of valence nucleons

An improved version of the liquid drop model is presented. The addition of two terms, linear and quadratic in the total number of valence nucleons (particles or holes), improves the description of atomic masses, which can be fitted with an r.m.s. error of 1.2 MeV. Predictions are analysed an compared with those of established models. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Image reconstruction techniques applied to nuclear mass models

A new procedure is presented that combines well-known nuclear models with image reconstruction techniques. A color-coded image is built by taking the differences between measured masses and the predictions given by the different theoretical models. This image is viewed as part of a larger array in the (N,Z) plane, where unknown nuclear masses are hidden, covered by a "mask." We apply a suitably adapted deconvolution algorithm, used in astronomical observations, to "open the window" and see the rest of the pattern. We show that it is possible to improve significantly mass predictions in regions not too far from measured nuclear masses

Symmetry Energy I: Semi-Infinite Matter

Energy for a nucleus is considered in macroscopic limit, in terms of nucleon numbers. Further considered for a nuclear system is the Hohenberg-Kohn energy functional, in terms of proton and neutron densities. Finally, Skyrme-Hartree-Fock calculations are carried out for a half-infinite particle-stable nuclear-matter. In each case, the attention is focused on the role of neutron-proton asymmetry and on the nuclear symmetry energy. We extend the considerations on the symmetry term from an energy formula to the respective term in the Hohenberg-Kohn functional. We show, in particular, that in the limit of an analytic functional, and subject to possible Coulomb corrections, it is possible to construct isoscalar and isovector densities out of the proton and neutron densities, that retain a universal relation to each other, approximately independent of asymmetry. In the so-called local approximation, the isovector density is inversely proportional to the symmetry energy in uniform matter at the local isoscalar density. Generalized symmetry coefficient of a nuclear system is related, in the analytic limit of a functional, to an integral of the isovector density. We test the relations, inferred from the Hohenberg-Kohn functional, in the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock calculations of half-infinite matter. Within the calculations, we obtain surface symmetry coefficients and parameters characterizing the densities, for the majority of Skyrme parameterizations proposed in the literature. The volume-to-surface symmetry-coefficient ratio and the displacement of nuclear isovector relative to isoscalar surfaces both strongly increase as the slope of symmetry energy in the vicinity of normal density increases.Comment: 87 pages, 18 figures; discussion of Kohn-Sham method added, comparison to results in literature broadene

The beta-Oslo method: experimentally constrained (n,γn,\gamma) reaction rates relevant to the rr-process

Unknown neutron-capture reaction rates remain a significant source of uncertainty in state-of-the-art $r$-process nucleosynthesis reaction network calculations. As the $r$-process involves highly neutron-rich nuclei for which direct ($n,\gamma$) cross-section measurements are virtually impossible, indirect methods are called for to constrain ($n,\gamma$) cross sections used as input for the $r$-process nuclear network. Here we discuss the newly developed beta-Oslo method, which is capable of providing experimental input for calculating ($n,\gamma$) rates of neutron-rich nuclei. The beta-Oslo method represents a first step towards constraining neutron-capture rates of importance to the $r$-process.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, conference proceedings Nuclei in the Cosmos XV 2018, Italy