English

Constraining Nuclear Mass Models Using r-process Observables with Multi-objective Optimization

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2025-06-10 v1

Abstract

Predicting nuclear masses is a longstanding challenge. One path forward is machine learning (ML) which trains on experimental data, but can suffer large errors when extrapolating toward neutron-rich species. In nature, such masses shape observables for the rapid neutron capture process (r-process), which in principle could inform ML models. Here we introduce a multi-objective optimization approach using the Pareto Front algorithm. We show that this technique, capable of identifying models which generate r-process abundances aligning with both Solar and stellar data, is a promising method to select ML models with reliable extrapolation power.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2506.06464,
  title  = {Constraining Nuclear Mass Models Using r-process Observables with Multi-objective Optimization},
  author = {Mengke Li and Matthew Mumpower and Nicole Vassh and William Samuel Porter and Rebecca Surman},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.06464},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

7 pages, 4 figues