610 research outputs found
The impact of global nuclear mass model uncertainties on -process abundance predictions
Rapid neutron capture or `-process' nucleosynthesis may be responsible for
half the production of heavy elements above iron on the periodic table. Masses
are one of the most important nuclear physics ingredients that go into
calculations of -process nucleosynthesis as they enter into the calculations
of reaction rates, decay rates, branching ratios and Q-values. We explore the
impact of uncertainties in three nuclear mass models on -process abundances
by performing global monte carlo simulations. We show that root-mean-square
(rms) errors of current mass models are large so that current -process
predictions are insufficient in predicting features found in solar residuals
and in -process enhanced metal poor stars. We conclude that the reduction of
global rms errors below keV will allow for more robust -process
predictions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, invited talk at the 15th International Symposium
on Capture Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy and Related Topics (CGS15), to appear in
EPJ Web of Conference
The sensitivity of r-process nucleosynthesis to the properties of neutron-rich nuclei
About half of the heavy elements in the Solar System were created by rapid
neutron capture, or r-process, nucleosynthesis. In the r-process, heavy
elements are built up via a sequence of neutron captures and beta decays in
which an intense neutron flux pushes material out towards the neutron drip
line. The nuclear network simulations used to test potential astrophysical
scenarios for the r-process therefore require nuclear physics data (masses,
beta decay lifetimes, neutron capture rates, fission probabilities) for
thousands of nuclei far from stability. Only a small fraction of this data has
been experimentally measured. Here we discuss recent sensitivity studies that
aim to determine the nuclei whose properties are most crucial for r-process
calculations.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the Proceedings of the Fifth
International Conference on Fission and Properties of Neutron-Rich Nuclei
(ICFN5
Recommended from our members
Spectroscopy of ultrathin epitaxial rutile TiO[sub 2](110) films grown on W(100)
Epitaxial ultrathin titanium dioxide films of 0.3 to similar to 7 nm thickness on a metal single crystal substrate have been investigated by high resolution vibrational and electron spectroscopies. The data complement previous morphological data provided by scanned probe microscopy and low energy electron diffraction to provide very complete characterization of this system. The thicker films display electronic structure consistent with a stoichiometric TiO2 phase. The thinner films appear nonstoichiometric due to band bending and charge transfer from the metal substrate, while work function measurements also show a marked thickness dependence. The vibrational spectroscopy shows three clear phonon bands at 368, 438, and 829 cm(-1) (at 273 K), which confirms a rutile structure. The phonon band intensity scales linearly with film thickness and shift slightly to lower frequencies with increasing temperature, in accord with results for single crystals. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics
Sensitivity of the r-process to nuclear masses
The rapid neutron capture process (r-process) is thought to be responsible
for the creation of more than half of all elements beyond iron. The scientific
challenges to understanding the origin of the heavy elements beyond iron lie in
both the uncertainties associated with astrophysical conditions that are needed
to allow an r-process to occur and a vast lack of knowledge about the
properties of nuclei far from stability. There is great global competition to
access and measure the most exotic nuclei that existing facilities can reach,
while simultaneously building new, more powerful accelerators to make even more
exotic nuclei. This work is an attempt to determine the most crucial nuclear
masses to measure using an r-process simulation code and several mass models
(FRDM, Duflo-Zuker, and HFB-21). The most important nuclear masses to measure
are determined by the changes in the resulting r-process abundances. Nuclei
around the closed shells near N=50, 82, and 126 have the largest impact on
r-process abundances irrespective of the mass models used.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in European Physical Journal
Sensitivity studies for r-process nucleosynthesis in three astrophysical scenarios
In rapid neutron capture, or r-process, nucleosynthesis, heavy elements are
built up via a sequence of neutron captures and beta decays that involves
thousands of nuclei far from stability. Though we understand the basics of how
the r-process proceeds, its astrophysical site is still not conclusively known.
The nuclear network simulations we use to test potential astrophysical
scenarios require nuclear physics data (masses, beta decay lifetimes, neutron
capture rates, fission probabilities) for all of the nuclei on the neutron-rich
side of the nuclear chart, from the valley of stability to the neutron drip
line. Here we discuss recent sensitivity studies that aim to determine which
individual pieces of nuclear data are the most crucial for r-process
calculations. We consider three types of astrophysical scenarios: a traditional
hot r-process, a cold r-process in which the temperature and density drop
rapidly, and a neutron star merger trajectory.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the Proceedings of the International
Nuclear Physics Conference (INPC) 201
Fission Cycling in a Supernova r-process
Recent halo star abundance observations exhibit an important feature of
consequence to the r-process: the presence of a main r-process between the
second and third peaks which is consistent among halo stars. We explore fission
cycling and steady-beta flow as the driving mechanisms behind this feature. The
presence of fission cycling during the r-process can account for
nucleosynthesis yields between the second and third peaks, whereas the presence
of steady-beta flow can account for consistent r-process patterns, robust under
small variations in astrophysical conditions. We employ the neutrino-driven
wind of the core-collapse supernova to examine fission cycling and steady-beta
flow in the r-process. As the traditional neutrino-driven wind model does not
produce the required very neutron-rich conditions for these mechanisms, we
examine changes to the neutrino physics necessary for fission cycling to occur
in the neutrino-driven wind environment, and we explore under what conditions
steady-beta flow is obtained.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
- …