Speaker
Description
The calculation of the r-process abundance depends on either nuclear inputs or dynamical conditions of the astrophysical sites. In the present study, we study the sensitivity of the r-process abundance to the alpha-decay rates and fission barriers of heavy nuclei. The alpha-decay half-lives were estimated using semi-empirical models and taken from the newly updated database (NUBASE2020). The fission barriers were deduced using the Thomas-Fermi model and micro-macroscopic approaches which were based on the FRDM and HFB21 mass models. We found that the recent uncertainties in the alpha-decay rates and fission barriers of the heavy exotic nuclei results in a large change in the r-process abundance, which is up to 3 orders of magnitude for the nuclei beyond Fe. The alpha decay and fission significantly impact the abundance at the low entropy in the range of 100 – 250 kB/baryon, but they become less important in the higher entropy winds. The results of this work indicate that, together with neutron capture and beta decay, the alpha decay and fission of heavy nuclei still have a certain impact on the r-process calculation. Subsequently, more precise measurements for the alpha-decay half-lives and mass of the exotic heavy isotopes are necessary to reduce the uncertainty in the astrophysical calculation of the r-process.
| Please select a main topic related to your abstract | Theoretical Nuclear Physics for Astrophysics |
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