R-Process Freezeout, Nuclear Deformation, and the Rare-Earth Element Peak
Astrophysics
2016-08-30 v1 Nuclear Theory
Abstract
We use network calculations of r-process nucleosynthesis to explore the origin of the peak in the solar r-process abundance distribution near nuclear mass number A = 160. The peak is due to a subtle interplay of nuclear deformation and beta decay, and forms not in the steady phase of the r-process, but only just prior to freezeout, as the free neutrons rapidly disappear. Its existence should therefore help constrain the conditions under which the r-process occurs and freezes out.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/9701007,
title = {R-Process Freezeout, Nuclear Deformation, and the Rare-Earth Element Peak},
author = {R. Surman and J. Engel and J. R. Bennett and B. S. Meyer},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/9701007},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
7 pages + 4 postscript figures, in RevTeX