Related papers: The early r-process nucleosynthesis scenarios
While the origin of r-process nuclei remains a long-standing mystery, recent spectroscopic studies of extremely metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo strongly suggest that it is associated with core-collapse supernovae. In this article, an…
The r-process of nucleosynthesis requires a large neutron-to-seed nucleus ratio. This does not, however, that there be an excess of neutrons over protons. If the expansion of the material is sufficiently rapid and the entropy per nucleon is…
The astrophysical site or sites responsible for the r-process of nucleosynthesis still remains an enigma. Since the rare earth region is formed in the latter stages of the r-process it provides a unique probe of the astrophysical conditions…
The rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) is a major process to synthesize elements heavier than iron, but the astrophysical site(s) of r-process is not identified yet. Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are suggested to be a major r-process…
Short gamma-ray bursts require a rotating black hole, surrounded by a magnetized relativistic accretion disk, such as the one formed by coalescing binary neutron stars or neutron star - black hole systems. The accretion onto a Kerr black…
Recent observations of heavy elements produced by rapid neutron capture (r-process) in the halo have shown a striking and unexpected behavior: within a single star, the relative abundances of r-process elements heavier than Eu are the same…
Neutrino-driven winds that follow core collapse supernovae were thought to be the site where half of the heavy elements are produced by the r-process. Although recent hydrodynamic simulations show that the conditions in the wind are not…
We reach the robust conclusion that, by combining the observed cosmic rays of r-process elements with the fact that the velocity of the neutron-star-merger ejecta is much higher than that of the supernova ejecta, either (1) the reverse…
We reanalyze $r$-process nucleosynthesis in the neutron-rich ejecta from a prompt supernova explosion of a low-mass (11 M$_\odot$) progenitor. A pompt explosion is not yet ruled out as a possibility for low-mass supernova progenitors.…
About half of carbon and s-process enhanced metal-poor stars (CEMP-s) show a high r-process enrichment (CEMP-s/r), incompatible with a pure s-process contribution. CEMP-s stars are of low mass (M < 0.9 Msun) and belong to binary systems.…
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 to the r-process and to an…
The recent detection of a binary neutron star merger and the clear evidence for the decay of radioactive material observed in this event have, after sixty years of effort, provided an astrophysical site for the rapid neutron-capture ($r$-)…
Metal-poor stars were formed during the early epochs when only massive stars had time to evolve and contribute to the chemical enrichment. Low-mass metal-poor stars survive until the present and provide fossil records of the nucleosynthesis…
We have made detailed calculations of the composition of magnetically driven jets ejected from collapsars, or rapidly rotating massive stars, based on long-term magnetohydrodynamic simulations of their core collapse with various…
We present a new nucleosynthesis process that may take place on neutron-rich ejecta experiencing an intensive neutrino flux. The nucleosynthesis proceeds similarly to the standard $r$-process, a sequence of neutron-captures and beta-decays,…
We suggest that if the astrophysical site for r-process nucleosynthesis in the early Galaxy is confined to a narrow mass range of Type II supernova (SN II) progenitors, with a lower mass limit of Mms = 20 Msun, a unique feature in the…
Recent observations of r-process-enriched metal-poor star abundances reveal a non-uniform abundance pattern for elements $Z\leq47$. Based on non-correlation trends between elemental abundances as a function of Eu-richness in a large sample…
Recent hydrodynamic simulations of core-collapse supernovae with accurate neutrino transport suggest that the bulk of the early neutrino-heated ejecta is proton rich, in which the production of some interesting proton-rich nuclei is…
Comparing Galactic chemical evolution models to the observed elemental abundances in the Milky Way, we show that neutron star mergers can be a leading r-process site only if at low metallicities such mergers have very short delay times and…
Merging neutron star binaries are prime candidate sources for heavy r-process nucleosynthesis. The amount of heavy r-process material is consistent with the mass ejection and rates of mergers, and abundances of relic radioactive materials…