Fernando Montes

PRODUCTION OF LIGHT-ELEMENT PRIMARY PROCESS NUCLEI IN NEUTRINO-DRIVEN WINDS

We present first comparisons between light-element primary process (LEPP) abundances observed in some ultra metal-poor (UMP) stars and nucleosynthesis calculations based on long-time hydrodynamical simulations of core-collapse supernovae and their neutrino-driven wind. UMP star observations indicate that Z ≥ 38 elements include the contributions of at least two nucleosynthesis components: r-process nuclei that are synthesized by rapid neutron capture in a yet unknown site and LEPP elements (mainly Sr, Y, and Zr). We show that neutrino-driven wind simulations can explain the observed LEPP pattern. We explore in detail the sensitivity of the calculated abundances to the electron fraction, which is a key nucleosynthesis parameter but poorly known due to uncertainties in neutrino interactions and transport. Our results show that the observed LEPP pattern can be reproduced in proton- and neutron-rich winds.

Half-life of the doubly magic r-process nucleus 78Ni.

Nuclei with magic numbers serve as important benchmarks in nuclear theory. In addition, neutron-rich nuclei play an important role in the astrophysical rapid neutron-capture process (r process). 78Ni is the only doubly magic nucleus that is also an important waiting point in the r process, and serves as a major bottleneck in the synthesis of heavier elements. The half-life of 78Ni has been experimentally deduced for the first time at the Coupled Cyclotron Facility of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University, and was found to be 110(+100)(-60) ms. In the same experiment, a first half-life was deduced for 77Ni of 128(+27)(-33) ms, and more precise half-lives were deduced for 75Ni and 76Ni of 344(+20)(-24) ms and 238(+15)(-18) ms, respectively.

HOW MANY NUCLEOSYNTHESIS PROCESSES EXIST AT LOW METALLICITY

Abundances of low-metallicity stars offer a unique opportunity to understand the contribution and conditions of the different processes that synthesize heavy elements. Many old, metal-poor stars show a robust abundance pattern for elements heavier than Ba, and a less robust pattern between Sr and Ag. Here we probe if two nucleosynthesis processes are sufficient to explain the stellar abundances at low metallicity, and we carry out a site independent approach to separate the contribution from these two processes or components to the total observationally derived abundances. Our approach provides a method to determine the contribution of each process to the production of elements such as Sr, Zr, Ba, and Eu. We explore the observed star-to-star abundance scatter as a function of metallicity that each process leads to. Moreover, we use the deduced abundance pattern of one of the nucleosynthesis components to constrain the astrophysical conditions of neutrino-driven winds from core-collapse supernovae.

Direct observation of long-lived isomers in 212Bi.

Long-lived isomers in (212)Bi have been studied following (238)U projectile fragmentation at 670 MeV per nucleon. The fragmentation products were injected as highly charged ions into a storage ring, giving access to masses and half-lives. While the excitation energy of the first isomer of (212)Bi was confirmed, the second isomer was observed at 1478(30) keV, in contrast to the previously accepted value of >1910 keV. It was also found to have an extended Lorentz-corrected in-ring half-life >30 min, compared to 7.0(3) min for the neutral atom. Both the energy and half-life differences can be understood as being due a substantial, though previously unrecognized, internal decay branch for neutral atoms. Earlier shell-model calculations are now found to give good agreement with the isomer excitation energy. Furthermore, these and new calculations predict the existence of states at slightly higher energy that could facilitate isomer deexcitation studies.

TOF-Bρ mass measurements of very exotic nuclides for astrophysical calculations at the NSCL

Atomic masses play a crucial role in many nuclear astrophysics calculations. The lack of experimental values for relevant exotic nuclides triggered a rapid development of new mass measurement devices around the world. The time-of-flight (TOF) mass measurements offer a complementary technique to the most precise one, Penning trap measurements (Blaum 2006 Phys. Rep. 425 1), the latter being limited by the rate and half-lives of the ions of interest. The NSCL facility provides a well-suited infrastructure for the TOF mass measurements of very exotic nuclei. At this facility, we have recently implemented a TOF-B? technique and performed mass measurements of neutron-rich nuclides in the Fe region, important for r-process calculations and for calculations of processes occurring in the crust of accreting neutron stars.

New experimental efforts along the rp-process path

The level structure just above the proton threshold of the nucleus 30S has been studied using the neutron removal process on fast radioactive beams at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University. In this work we provide a description of the experimental setup. The present status of the analysis is also discussed.

Impact of (α, n) reactions on weak r-process in neutrino-driven winds

After a successful core-collapse supernova, a neutrino-driven wind develops where it is possible to synthesize lighter heavy elements (30 < Z < 45). In the early galaxy, the origin of these elements is associated with the r-process and to an additional process. Here we assume that the additional process corresponds to the weak r-process (sometimes referred to as alpha-process) taking place in neutrino-driven winds. Based on a trajectory obtained from hydrodynamical simulations we study the astrophysics and nuclear physics uncertainties of a weak r-process with our main focus on the (α, n) reactions. These reactions are critical to redistribute the matter and allow it to move from light to heavy elements after nuclear statistical equilibrium freezes out. In this first sensitivity study, we vary all (α, n) reactions by given constant factors which are justified based on the uncertainties of the statistical model and its nuclear physics input, mainly alpha optical potentials for weak r-process conditions. Our results show that (α, n) rate uncertainties are indeed crucial to predict abundances. Therefore, further studies will follow to identify individual critical reactions. Since the nucleosynthesis path is close to stability, these reactions can be measured in the near future. Since much of the other nuclear data for the weak r-process are known, the reduction in nuclear physics uncertainties provided by these experiments will allow astronomical observations to directly constrain the astronomical conditions in the wind.

r-process experimental campaign at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL/MSU)

Jorge Pereira, Ana Becerril, Thom Elliot, Alfredo Estrade, Daniel Galaviz, Linda Kern, G. Lorusso, Paul Mantica, Milan Matos, Fernando Montes, Hendrik Schatz 1) National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), 2) Joint Institute of Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA), 3) Department of Physics and Astronomy, 4) Department of Chemistry Michigan State University (East Lansing) Michigan, USA E-mail: pereira@nscl.msu.edu

Survey of Astrophysical Conditions in Neutrino-driven Supernova Ejecta Nucleosynthesis

Core-collapse supernovae produce elements between Fe and Ag depending on the properties of the ejected matter. Despite the fast progress in supernova simulations in the last decades, there are still uncertainties in the astrophysical conditions. In this paper we investigate the impact of astrophysical uncertainties on the nucleosynthesis. Since a systematic study based on trajectories from hydrodynamic simulations is computationally very expensive, we rely on a steady-state model. By varying the mass and radius of the proto-neutron star as well as electron fraction in the steady-state model, we cover a wide range of astrophysical conditions. In our study, we find four abundance patterns which can be formed in neutron-rich neutrino-driven ejecta. This provides a unique template of trajectories that can be used to investigate the impact of nuclear physics input on the nucleosynthesis for representative astrophysical conditions. Furthermore, we link these four patterns to the neutron-to-seed and alpha-to-seed ratios at

Measurement of the Beta Decay of 26P to Determine Classical Nova 26Al Production in the Milky Way

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