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Results for “R PROCESS”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Nuclear quests for supernova dynamics and nucleosynthesis

Nuclear physics plays a crucial role in various aspects of core collapse supernovae. The collapse dynamics is strongly influenced by electron captures. Using modern many-body theory improved capture rates have been derived recently with the important result that the process is dominated by capture on nuclei until neutrino trapping is achieved. Following the core bounce the ejected matter is the site of interesting nucleosynthesis. The early ejecta are proton-rich and give rise to the recently discovered {nu}p-process. Later ejecta might be neutron-rich and can be one site of the r-process. The manuscript discusses recent progress in describing nuclear input relevant for the supernova dynamics and nucleosynthesis.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Following nuclei through nucleosynthesis: A novel tracing technique

Astrophysical nucleosynthesis is a family of diverse processes by which atomic nuclei undergo nuclear reactions and decay to form new nuclei. The complex nature of nucleosynthesis, which can involve as many as tens of thousands of interactions between thousands of nuclei, makes it difficult to study any one of these interactions in isolation using standard approaches. In this work, we present a new technique, nucleosynthesis tracing, that we use to quantify the relative fraction of nuclear abundances that pass through individual nuclear reaction, decay, and fission processes at any point during nucleosynthesis. Here, we apply this technique to study fission and β – decay as they occur in the rapid neutron capture (r) process of nucleosynthesis.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Reaction rate uncertainties and the {nu}p-process

Current hydrodynamical simulations of core collapse supernovae find proton-rich early ejecta. At the same time, the models fail to eject neutron-rich matter, thus leaving the origin of the main r-process elements unsolved. However, the proton-rich neutrino-driven winds from supernovae have been identified as a possible production site for light n-capture elements beyond iron (such as Ge, Sr, Y, Zr) through the {nu}p-process. The detailed nucleosynthesis patterns of the {nu}p-process depend on the hydrodynamic conditions and the nuclear reaction rates of key reactions. We investigate the impact of reaction rate uncertainties on the {nu}p-process nucleosynthesis.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Neutron Star Binary Merger Model for GW170817/GRB 170817A/SSS17a

The merging neutron star gravitational-wave event GW170817 has been observed throughout the entire electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to γ -rays. The resulting energetics, variability, and light curves are shown to be consistent with GW170817 originating from the merger of two neutron stars, in all likelihood followed by the prompt gravitational collapse of the massive remnant. The available γ -ray, X-ray, and radio data provide a clear probe for the nature of the relativistic ejecta and the non-thermal processes occurring within, while the ultraviolet, optical, and infrared emission are shown to probe material torn during the merger and subsequently heated by the decay of freshly synthesized r -process material. The simplest hypothesis, that the non-thermal emission is due to a low-luminosity short γ -ray burst (sGRB), seems to agree with the present data. While low-luminosity sGRBs might be common, we show here that the collective prompt and multi-wavelength observations are also consistent with a typical, powerful sGRB seen off-axis. Detailed follow-up observations are thus essential before we can place stringent constraints on the nature of the relativistic ejecta in GW170817.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Direct Reactions for Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics

Direct reactions are powerful probes for studying the atomic nucleus. Modern direct reaction studies are illuminating both the fundamental nature of the nucleus and its role in nucleosynthetic processes occurring in the cosmos. This report covers experiments using knockout reactions on neutron-deficient fragmentation beams, transfer reactions on fission fragment beams, and theoretical sensitivity studies relating to the astrophysical r-process. Results from experiments on 108,106 Sn at the NSCL, and on 131 Sn at HRIBF are presented as well as the results from the nucleosynthesis study.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Radioactivity and thermalization in the ejecta of compact object mergers and their impact on kilonova light curves

One promising electromagnetic signature of compact object mergers are kilonovae: approximately isotropic radioactively powered transients that peak days to weeks post-merger. Key uncertainties in kilonova modeling include the emission profiles of the radioactive decay products—non-thermal β-particles, α-particles, fission fragments, and γ-rays—and the efficiency with which their kinetic energy is absorbed by the ejecta. The radioactive energy emitted, along with its thermalization efficiency, sets the luminosity budget and is therefore crucial for predicting kilonova light curves. We outline uncertainties in the radioactivity, describe the processes by which the decay products transfer energy to the ejecta, and calculate time-dependent thermalization efficiencies for each particle type. We determine the net thermalization efficiency and explore its dependence on r-process yields—in particular, the production of α-decaying translead nuclei—and on ejecta mass, velocity, and magnetic fields. We incorporate our results into detailed radiation transport simulations, and calculate updated kilonova light curve predictions. Thermalization effects reduce kilonova luminosities by a factor of roughly 2 at peak, and by an order of magnitude at later times (15 days or more after explosion). We present analytic fits to time-dependent thermalization efficiencies, which can be used to improve light curve models. We revisit the putative kilonova that accompanied gamma-ray burst 130603B, and estimate the mass ejected in that event. We find later time kilonova light curves can be significantly impacted by α-decay from translead isotopes; data at these times may therefore be diagnostic of ejecta abundances.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Segue 1: An unevolved fossil galaxy from the early universe

We present Magellan/MIKE and Keck/HIRES high-resolution spectra of six red giant stars in the dwarf galaxy Segue 1. Including one additional Segue 1 star observed by Norris et al., high-resolution spectra have now been obtained for every red giant in Segue 1. Remarkably, three of these seven stars have metallicities below [Fe/H] = –3.5, suggesting that Segue 1 is the least chemically evolved galaxy known. We confirm previous medium-resolution analyses demonstrating that Segue 1 stars span a metallicity range of more than 2 dex, from [Fe/H] = –1.4 to [Fe/H] = –3.8. All of the Segue 1 stars are α-enhanced, with [α/Fe] ∼ 0.5. High α-element abundances are typical for metal-poor stars, but in every previously studied galaxy [α/Fe] declines for more metal-rich stars, which is typically interpreted as iron enrichment from supernova Ia. The absence of this signature in Segue 1 indicates that it was enriched exclusively by massive stars. Other light element abundance ratios in Segue 1, including carbon enhancement in the three most metal-poor stars, closely resemble those of metal-poor halo stars. Finally, we classify the most metal-rich star as a CH star given its large overabundances of carbon and s-process elements. The other six stars show remarkably low neutron-capture element abundances of [Sr/H] < –4.9 and [Ba/H] < –4.2, which are comparable to the lowest levels ever detected in halo stars. This suggests minimal neutron-capture enrichment, perhaps limited to a single r-process or weak s-process synthesizing event. Altogether, the chemical abundances of Segue 1 indicate no substantial chemical evolution, supporting the idea that it may be a surviving first galaxy that experienced only one burst of star formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Neutrinos, supernovae, and the origin of the heavy elements

Stars of ~ 8-100 M ⊙ end their lives as core-collapse supernovae (SNe). In the process they emit a powerful burst of neutrinos, produce a variety of elements, and leave behind either a neutron star or a black hole. The wide mass range for SN progenitors results in diverse neutrino signals, explosion energies, and nucleosynthesis products. A major mechanism to produce nuclei heavier than iron is rapid neutron capture, or the r process. This process may be connected to SNe in several ways. Here a brief review is presented on current understanding of neutrino emission, explosion, and nucleosynthesis of SNe.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A detailed study of giants and horizontal branch stars in M68: Atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances

In this paper, we present a detailed high-resolution spectroscopic study of post main sequence stars in the globular cluster (GC) M68. Our sample, which covers a range of 4000 K in T{sub eff}, and 3.5 dex in log(g), is comprised of members from the red giant, red horizontal, and blue horizontal branch, making this the first high-resolution GC study covering such a large evolutionary and parameter space. Initially, atmospheric parameters were determined using photometric as well as spectroscopic methods, both of which resulted in unphysical and unexpected T{sub eff}, log(g), ξ{sub t}, and [Fe/H] combinations. We therefore developed a hybrid approach that addresses most of these problems, and yields atmospheric parameters that agree well with other measurements in the literature. Furthermore, our derived stellar metallicities are consistent across all evolutionary stages, with 〈[Fe/H]〉 = −2.42 (σ = 0.14) from 25 stars. Chemical abundances obtained using our methodology also agree with previous studies and bear all the hallmarks of GCs, such as a Na-O anti-correlation, constant Ca abundances, and mild r-process enrichment.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Charge-exchange QRPA with the Gogny Force for Axially-symmetric Deformed Nuclei

In recent years fully consistent quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) calculations using finite range Gogny force have been performed to study electromagnetic excitations of several axially-symmetric deformed nuclei up to the {sup 238}U. Here we present the extension of this approach to the charge-exchange nuclear excitations (pnQRPA). In particular we focus on the Isobaric Analog and Gamow-Teller resonances. A comparison of the predicted GT strength distribution with existing experimental data is presented. The role of nuclear deformation is shown. Special attention is paid to β-decay half-lives calculations for which experimental data exist and for specific isotone chains of relevance for the r-process nucleosynthesis.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Nucleosynthesis outreach slides

The purpose of this report is to explain s- and r-process nucleosynthesis to the general public at outreach events, specifically in a Planetarium show at the Pajarito Environmental Education Center in Los Alamos.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Magnetic Field Strength Effects on Nucleosynthesis from Neutron Star Merger Outflows

Abstract Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence drives the central engine of post-merger remnants, potentially powering both a nucleosynthetically active disk wind and the relativistic jet behind a short gamma-ray burst. We explore the impact of the magnetic field on this engine by simulating three post-merger black hole accretion disks using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics with Monte Carlo neutrino transport, in each case varying the initial magnetic field strength. We find increasing ejecta masses associated with increasing magnetic field strength. We find that a fairly robust main r -process pattern is produced in all three cases, scaled by the ejected mass. Changing the initial magnetic field strength has a considerable effect on the geometry of the outflow and hints at complex central engine dynamics influencing lanthanide outflows. We find that actinide production is especially sensitive to magnetic field strength, with the overall actinide mass fraction calculated at 1 Gyr post-merger increasing by more than a factor of 6 with a tenfold increase in magnetic field strength. This hints at a possible connection to the variability in actinide enhancements exhibited by metal-poor, r -process-enhanced stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

The K2 Galactic Archaeology Program Data Release 3: Age-abundance Patterns in C1–C8 and C10–C18

We present the third and final data release of the K2 Galactic Archaeology Program (K2 GAP) for Campaigns C1–C8 and C10–C18. We provide asteroseismic radius and mass coefficients, κ R and κ M , for ~19,000 red giant stars, which translate directly to radius and mass given a temperature. As such, K2 GAP DR3 represents the largest asteroseismic sample in the literature to date. K2 GAP DR3 stellar parameters are calibrated to be on an absolute parallactic scale based on Gaia DR2, with red giant branch and red clump evolutionary state classifications provided via a machine-learning approach. Combining these stellar parameters with GALAH DR3 spectroscopy, we determine asteroseismic ages with precisions of ~20%–30% and compare age-abundance relations to Galactic chemical evolution models among both low- and high-α populations for α, light, iron-peak, and neutron-capture elements. We confirm recent indications in the literature of both increased Ba production at late Galactic times as well as significant contributions to r-process enrichment from prompt sources associated with, e.g., core-collapse supernovae. With an eye toward other Galactic archeology applications, we characterize K2 GAP DR3 uncertainties and completeness using injection tests, suggesting that K2 GAP DR3 is largely unbiased in mass/age, with uncertainties of 2.9% (stat.) ± 0.1% (syst.) and 6.7% (stat.) ± 0.3% (syst.) in κ R and κ M for red giant branch stars and 4.7% (stat.) ± 0.3% (syst.) and 11% (stat.) ± 0.9% (syst.) for red clump stars. We also identify percent-level asteroseismic systematics, which are likely related to the time baseline of the underlying data, and which therefore should be considered in TESS asteroseismic analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Normal and outlying populations of the Milky Way stellar halo at [Fe/H] <–2

From detailed abundance analysis of >100 Hamburg/ESO candidate extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars we find 45 with [Fe/H] < –3.0 dex. We identify a heretofore unidentified group: Ca-deficient stars with sub-solar [Ca/Fe] ratios and the lowest neutron-capture abundances; the Ca-deficient group comprises ∼10% of the sample, excluding Carbon stars. Our radial velocity distribution shows that the carbon-enhanced stars with no s-process enhancements, CEMP-no, and which do not show C{sub 2} bands are not preferentially binary systems. Ignoring Carbon stars, approximately 15% of our sample are strong (≥5σ) outliers in one or more elements between Mg and Ni; this rises to ∼19% if very strong (≥10σ) outliers for Sr and Ba are included. Examples include: HE0305–0554 with the lowest [Ba/H] known; HE1012–1540 and HE2323–0256, two (non-velocity variable) C-rich stars with very strong [Mg,Al/Fe] enhancements; and HE1226–1149, an extremely r-process rich star.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Impact of neutrino flavor oscillations on the neutrino-driven wind nucleosynthesis of an electron-capture supernova

Neutrino oscillations, especially to light sterile states, can affect nucleosynthesis yields because of their possible feedback effect on the electron fraction (Y{sub e}). For the first time, we perform nucleosynthesis calculations for neutrino-driven wind trajectories from the neutrino-cooling phase of an 8.8 M{sub ⊙} electron-capture supernova (SN), whose hydrodynamic evolution was computed in spherical symmetry with sophisticated neutrino transport and whose Y{sub e} evolution was post-processed by including neutrino oscillations between both active and active–sterile flavors. We also take into account the α-effect as well as weak magnetism and recoil corrections in the neutrino absorption and emission processes. We observe effects on the Y{sub e} evolution that depend in a subtle way on the relative radial positions of the sterile Mikheyev–Smirnov–Wolfenstein resonances, on collective flavor transformations, and on the formation of α particles. For the adopted SN progenitor, we find that neutrino oscillations, also to a sterile state with eV mass, do not significantly affect the element formation and in particular cannot make the post-explosion wind outflow neutron-rich enough to activate a strong r-process. Our conclusions become even more robust when, in order to mimic equation-of-state-dependent corrections due to nucleon potential effects in the dense-medium neutrino opacities, six cases with reduced Y{sub e} in the wind are considered. In these cases, despite the conversion of active neutrinos to sterile neutrinos, Y{sub e} increases or is not significantly lowered compared to the values obtained without oscillations and active flavor transformations. This is a consequence of a complicated interplay between sterile-neutrino production, neutrino–neutrino interactions, and α-effect.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

High-resolution spectroscopic study of extremely metal-poor star candidates from the SkyMapper survey

The SkyMapper Southern Sky Survey is carrying out a search for the most metal-poor stars in the Galaxy. It identifies candidates by way of its unique filter set which allows for estimation of stellar atmospheric parameters. The set includes a narrow filter centered on the Ca ii K 3933 Å line, enabling a robust estimate of stellar metallicity. Promising candidates are then confirmed with spectroscopy. We present the analysis of Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle high-resolution spectroscopy of 122 metal-poor stars found by SkyMapper in the first two years of commissioning observations. Forty-one stars have [Fe/H]⩽−3.0. Nine have [Fe/H]⩽−3.5, with three at [Fe/H]∼−4. A 1D LTE abundance analysis of the elements Li, C, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Sr, Ba, and Eu shows these stars have [X/Fe] ratios typical of other halo stars. One star with low [X/Fe] values appears to be “Fe-enhanced,” while another star has an extremely large [Sr/Ba] ratio: >2. Only one other star is known to have a comparable value. Seven stars are “CEMP-no” stars ([C/Fe]>0.7, [Ba/Fe]<0). 21 stars exhibit mild r-process element enhancements (0.3⩽[Eu/Fe]<1.0), while four stars have [Eu/Fe]⩾1.0. These results demonstrate the ability to identify extremely metal-poor stars from SkyMapper photometry, pointing to increased sample sizes and a better characterization of the metal-poor tail of the halo metallicity distribution function in the future.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Low-energy magnetic radiation: Deviations from GOE

A pronounced spike at low energy in the strength function for magnetic radiation (LEMAR) is found by means of Shell Model calculations, which explains the experimentally observed enhancement of the dipole strength. LEMAR originates from statistical low-energy M1-transitions between many excited complex states. Re-coupling of the proton and neutron high-j orbitals generates the strong magnetic radiation. LEMAR is closely related to Magnetic Rotation. LEMAR is predicted for nuclides participating in the r-process of element synthesis and is expected to change the reaction rates. An exponential decrease of the strength function and a power law for the size distribution of the B(M1) values are found, which strongly deviate from the ones of the GOE of random matrices, which is commonly used to represent complex compound states.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Heavy elements in globular clusters: The role of asymptotic giant branch stars

Recent observations of heavy elements in globular clusters reveal intriguing deviations from the standard paradigm of the early galactic nucleosynthesis. If the r-process contamination is a common feature of halo stars, s-process enhancements are found in a few globular clusters only. We show that the combined pollution of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with a mass ranging between 3 to 6 M {sub ☉} may account for most of the features of the s-process overabundance in M4 and M22. In these stars, the s process is a mixture of two very different neutron-capture nucleosynthesis episodes. The first is due to the {sup 13}C(α, n){sup 16}O reaction and takes place during the interpulse periods. The second is due to the {sup 22}Ne(α, n){sup 25}Mg reaction and takes place in the convective zones generated by thermal pulses. The production of the heaviest s elements (from Ba to Pb) requires the first neutron burst, while the second produces large overabundances of light s (Rb, Sr, Y, Zr). The first mainly operates in the less massive AGB stars, while the second dominates in the more massive. From the heavy-s/light-s ratio, we derive that the pollution phase should last for 150 ± 50 Myr, a period short enough compared to the formation timescale of the globular cluster system, but long enough to explain why the s-process pollution is observed in a few cases only. With few exceptions, our theoretical prediction provides a reasonable reproduction of the observed s-process abundances, from Sr to Hf. However, Ce is probably underproduced by our models, while Rb and Pb are overproduced. Possible solutions are discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗