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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Beta-decay of nuclei near the neutron shell N = 126

A self-consistent approach to the weak interaction rates is presented. It is based on the generalized energy-density functional method and continuum QRPA. The study has been made of the {beta}-decay total energy releases, half-lives and {beta}-delayed neutron emission branchings for recently identified near-spherical nuclei with charge numbers Z = 76-79 approaching the closed neutron shell at N = 126. Together with our previous calculations near N = 28, 50, 82 this provides an important update to the standard set of weak rates for the r-process modeling, radioactive beam experiments and advanced reactor applications. Within the fully microscopic framework a significant competition is found of the Gamow-Teller and first-forbidden decay contributions to the total half-lives.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Neutrinos in astrophysics and cosmology

Neutrinos play a crucial role in many aspects of astrophysics and cosmology. Since they control the electron fraction, or equivalently neutron-to-proton ratio, neutrino properties impact yields of r-process nucleosynthesis. Similarly the weak decoupling temperature in the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis epoch is exponentially dependent on the neutron-to-proton ratio. In these conference proceedings, I briefly summarize some of the recent work exploring the role of neutrinos in astrophysics and cosmology.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Background-limited Imaging in the Near Infrared with Warm InGaAs Sensors: Applications for Time-domain Astronomy

We describe test observations made with a customized 640 × 512 pixel indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) prototype astronomical camera on the 2.5 m DuPont telescope. This is the first test of InGaAs as a cost-effective alternative to HgCdTe for research-grade astronomical observations. The camera exhibits a background of 113 e{sup –} s{sup –1}/pixel (dark + thermal) at operating sensor temperature T = −40°C, maintained by a simple thermoelectric cooler. The optomechanical structure floats at ambient temperature with no cold stop, unlike most IR instruments which must be cooled to mitigate thermal backgrounds. Measurements of the night sky using a reimager scaled at 0.″4/pixel show that the sky flux in Y is comparable to the dark current. At J the sky exceeds dark current by a factor of four, dominating the noise budget. The read noise (∼43 e{sup −}) falls below sky + dark noise for exposures of t > 7 s in Y and 3.5 s in J. We observed several representative science targets, including two supernovae, a z = 6.3 quasar, two local galaxies monitored for IR transients, and a galaxy cluster at z = 0.87. We observe a partial transit of the hot Jupiter HATS-34b, demonstrating the photometric stability to detect a 1.2% transit. A tiling of larger-format sensors would produce an IR survey instrument with significant cost savings relative to HgCdTe-based cameras, if one is willing to forego the K band. Such a camera would be sensitive for a week or more to isotropic emission from r-process kilonova ejecta similar to that observed in GW170817, over the full 190 Mpc horizon of Advanced LIGO.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

ELECTRON-CAPTURE SUPERNOVAE AS SOURCES OF {sup 60}Fe

We investigate the nucleosynthesis of the radionuclide {sup 60}Fe in electron-capture supernovae (ECSNe). The nucleosynthetic results are based on a self-consistent, two-dimensional simulation of an ECSN as well as models in which the densities are systematically increased by some factors (low-entropy models). {sup 60}Fe is found to be appreciably made in neutron-rich ejecta during the nuclear quasi-equilibrium phase with greater amounts being produced in the lower-entropy models. Our results, combining them with the yields of core-collapse supernovae in the literature, suggest that ECSNe account for at least 4%-30% of live {sup 60}Fe in the Milky Way. ECSNe co-produce neutron-rich isotopes, {sup 48}Ca, {sup 50}Ti, {sup 54}Cr, some light trans-iron elements, and possibly weak r-process elements including some radionuclides such as {sup 93}Zr, {sup 99}Tc, and {sup 107}Pd, whose association with {sup 60}Fe might have been imprinted in primitive meteorites or in the deep ocean crust on the Earth.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Supernova nucleosynthesis and the physics of neutrino oscillation

We studied the explosive nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae and found that several isotopes of rare elements like {sup 7}Li, {sup 11}B, {sup 138}La, {sup 180}Ta and others are predominantly produced by the neutrino interactions with several abundant nuclei. These isotopes are strongly affected by the neutrino flavor oscillation due to the MSW (Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein) effect. We here first study how to know the suitable average neutrino temperatures in order to explain the observed solar system abundances of these isotopes, combined with Galactic chemical evolution of the light nuclei and the heavy r-process elements. We then study the neutrino oscillation effects on their abundances, and propose a new novel method to determine the neutrino oscillation parameters, {theta}{sub 13} and mass hierarchy, simultaneously. There is recent evidence that some SiC X grains from the Murchison meteorite may contain supernova-produced neutrino-process {sup 11}B and {sup 7}Li encapsulated in the grains. Combining the recent experimental constraints on {theta}{sub 13}, we show that although the uncertainties are still large, our method hints at a marginal preference for an inverted neutrino mass hierarchy for the first time.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CONSTRAINING THE SYMMETRY PARAMETERS OF THE NUCLEAR INTERACTION

One of the major uncertainties in the dense matter equation of state has been the nuclear symmetry energy. The density dependence of the symmetry energy is important in nuclear astrophysics, as it controls the neutronization of matter in core-collapse supernovae, the radii of neutron stars and the thicknesses of their crusts, the rate of cooling of neutron stars, and the properties of nuclei involved in r-process nucleosynthesis. We show that fits of nuclear masses to experimental masses, combined with other experimental information from neutron skins, heavy ion collisions, giant dipole resonances, and dipole polarizabilities, lead to stringent constraints on parameters that describe the symmetry energy near the nuclear saturation density. These constraints are remarkably consistent with inferences from theoretical calculations of pure neutron matter, and, furthermore, with astrophysical observations of neutron stars. The concordance of experimental, theoretical, and observational analyses suggests that the symmetry parameters S{sub v} and L are in the range 29.0-32.7 MeV and 40.5-61.9 MeV, respectively, and that the neutron star radius, for a 1.4 M{sub Sun} star, is in the narrow window 10.7 km <R < 13.1 km (90% confidence). We can also set tight limits to the size of neutron star crusts and the fractional moment of inertia they contain, as well as the overall moment of inertia and quadrupole polarizability of 1.4 M{sub Sun} stars. Our results also have implications for the disk mass and ejected mass of compact mergers involving neutron stars.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Electron Capture Reactions and Beta Decays in Steller Environments

Electron capture reactions on Ni and Co isotopes are investigated by shell model calculations in steller environments. The capture rates depend sensitively on the distribution of the Gamow-Teller (GT) strength. The capture rates obtained by using GXPF1J Hamiltonian for fp-shell are found to be consistent with the rates obtained from experimental GT strength in {sup 58}Ni and {sup 60}Ni. Capture rates in Co isotopes, where there were large discrepancies among previous calculations, are also investigated. Beta decays of the N = 126 isotones are studied by shell model calculations taking into account both the GT and first-forbidden (FF) transitions. The FF transitions are found to be important to reduce the half-lives by twice to several times of those by the GT contributions only. Implications of the short half-lives of the waiting point nuclei on the r-process nucleosynthesis are discussed for various astrophysical conditions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Complete set of bound negative-parity states in the neutron-rich nucleus 18 N

High-resolution γ -ray spectroscopy of N 18 is performed with the Advanced GAmma Tracking Array, following deep-inelastic processes induced by an O 18 beam on a Ta 181 target. Six states are newly identified, which together with the three known excitations exhaust all negative-parity excited states expected in N 18 below the neutron threshold. Spin and parities are proposed for all located states on the basis of decay branchings and comparison with large-scale shell-model calculations performed in the p-sd space, with the YSOX interaction. Of particular interest is the location of the 0 1 - and 1 2 - excitations, which provide strong constrains for cross-shell p-sd matrix elements based on realistic interactions and help to simultaneously reproduce the ground and first-excited states in N 16 and N 18 , for the first time. Overall, understanding the N 18 structure may also have significant impact on neutron-capture cross-section calculations in r-process modeling including light neutron-rich nuclei.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The X-ray counterpart to the gravitational-wave event GW170817

We present a long-standing paradigm in astrophysics is that collisions—or mergers—of two neutron stars form highly relativistic and collimated outflows (jets) that power γ-ray bursts of short (less than two seconds) duration. The observational support for this model, however, is only indirect. A hitherto outstanding prediction is that gravitational-wave events from such mergers should be associated with γ-ray bursts, and that a majority of these bursts should be seen off-axis, that is, they should point away from Earth. Here we report the discovery observations of the X-ray counterpart associated with the gravitational-wave event GW170817. Although the electromagnetic counterpart at optical and infrared frequencies is dominated by the radioactive glow (known as a ‘kilonova’) from freshly synthesized rapid neutron capture (r-process) material in the merger ejecta, observations at X-ray and, later, radio frequencies are consistent with a short γ-ray burst viewed off-axis. Lastly, our detection of X-ray emission at a location coincident with the kilonova transient provides the missing observational link between short γ-ray bursts and gravitational waves from neutron-star mergers, and gives independent confirmation of the collimated nature of the γ-ray-burst emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Neutrino astrophysics in slowly rotating spacetimes permeated by nonlinear electrodynamics fields

Many theoretical and astrophysical arguments involve consideration of the effects of super strong electromagnetic fields and the rotation during the late stages of core-collapse supernovae. In what follows, we solve Einstein field equations that are minimally coupled to an arbitrary (current-free) Born–Infeld nonlinear Lagrangian L(F,G) of electrodynamics (NLED) in the slow rotation regime a ≪ r{sub +} (outer horizon size), up to first order in a/r. We cross-check the physical properties of such NLED spacetime w.r.t. against the Maxwell one. A study case on both neutrino flavor (ν{sub e}→ν{sub μ},ν{sub τ}) oscillations and flavor+helicity (spin) flip (ν{sub e}→ ν-bar {sub μ,τ}) gyroscopic precession proves that in the spacetime of a slowly rotating nonlinear charged black hole (RNCBH), the neutrino dynamics translates into a positive enhancement of the r-process (reduction of the electron fraction Y{sub e} < 0.5). Consequently, it guarantees successful hyperluminous core-collapse supernova explosions due to the enlargement of the number and amount of decaying nuclide species. This posits that, as far as the whole luminosity is concerned, hypernovae will be a proof of the formation of astrophysical RNCBH.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

NEUTRINO SPECTRA FROM ACCRETION DISKS: NEUTRINO GENERAL RELATIVISTIC EFFECTS AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

Black hole (BH) accretion disks have been proposed as good candidates for a range of interesting nucleosynthesis, including the r-process. The presence of the BH influences the neutrino fluxes and affects the nucleosynthesis resulting from the interaction of the emitted neutrinos and hot outflowing material ejected from the disk. We study the impact of general relativistic effects on the neutrinos emitted from BH accretion disks. We present abundances obtained by considering null geodesics and energy shifts for two different disk models. We find that both the bending of the neutrino trajectories and the energy shifts have important consequences for the nucleosynthetic outcome.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Ruprecht 106: The first single population globular cluster?

All old Galactic globular clusters (GCs) studied in detail to date host at least two generations of stars, where the second is formed from gas polluted by processed material produced by massive stars of the first. This process can happen if the initial mass of the cluster exceeds a threshold above which ejecta are retained and a second generation is formed. A determination of this mass threshold is mandatory in order to understand how GCs form. We analyzed nine red giant branch stars belonging to the cluster Ruprecht 106. Targets were observed with the UVES@VLT2 spectrograph. Spectra cover a wide range and allowed us to measure abundances for light (O, Na, Mg, Al), α (Si, Ca, Ti), iron-peak (Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn), and neutron-capture (Y, Zr, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Dy, Pb) elements. Based on these abundances, we show that Ruprecht 106 is the first convincing example of a single-population GC (i.e., a true simple stellar population), although the sample is relatively small. This result is supported also by an independent photometric test and by the horizontal branch morphology and the dynamical state. It is old (∼12 Gyr) and, at odds with other GCs, has no α-enhancement. The material it formed from was contaminated by both s- and r-process elements. The abundance pattern points toward an extragalactic origin. Its present-day mass (M = 10{sup 4.83} M {sub ☉}) can be assumed as a strong lower limit for the initial mass threshold below which no second generation is formed. Clearly, its initial mass must have been significantly greater, but we have no current constraints on the amount of mass loss during its evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Formation of super-heavy elements in astrophysical nucleosynthesis

The unexplored area of heavy neutron-rich nuclides is extremely important for the understanding of the r process of astrophysical nucleogenesis. For elements with Z>100 only neutron deficient isotopes (located to the left of the stability line) have been synthesized so far. The 'north-east' area of the nuclear map can be reached neither in fusion reactions nor in fragmentation processes. Low energy multi-nucleon transfer reactions are quite promising for the production and study of neutron-rich heavy nuclei including those located at the superheavy (SH) island of stability [1]. The neutron capture process is considered here as an alternative method for the production of SH nuclei. Requirements for the pulsed reactors of the next generation that could be used for the synthesis of long-living neutron rich SH nuclei are formulated. Formation of SH nuclei in supernova explosions is also discussed and the abundance of SH elements in nature is estimated.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

$β$-delayed-neutron studies of 135,136 Sb and 140 I performed with trapped ions

In this work, Beta-delayed-neutron $(βn)$ spectroscopy was performed using the Beta-decay Paul Trap and an array of radiation detectors. The $βn$ branching ratios and energy spectra for 135,136 Sb and 140 I were obtained by measuring the time of flight of recoil ions emerging from the trapped ion cloud. These nuclei are located at the edge of an isotopic region identified as having $βn$ branching ratios that impact the $r$-process abundance pattern around the A ≈ 130 peak. For 135,136 Sb and 140 I, $βn$ branching ratios of 14.6(13)%, 17.6(29)%, and 7.6(28)% were determined, respectively. The $βn$ energy spectra obtained for 135 Sb and 140 I are compared with results from direct neutron measurements, and the $βn$ energy spectrum for 136 Sb has been measured for the first time.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Gamma-Rays from Kilonovae and the Cosmic Gamma-Ray Background

The recent detection of the gravitational-wave event GW170817, produced by the coalescence of two neutron stars, and of its optical–infrared counterpart, powered by the radioactive decay of r-process elements, has opened a new window onto gamma-ray astronomy: the direct detection of photons coming from such decays. In this work, we calculate the contribution of kilonovae to the diffuse gamma-ray background in the MeV range, using recent results on the spectra of the gamma-rays emitted in individual events, and we compare it with that from other sources. We find that the contribution from kilonovae is not dominant in such an energy range, but within current uncertainties, and its addition to other sources might help to fit the observational data.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Challenges in explosive nucleosynthesis of heavy elements

We show that a treatment of charged-current neutrino interactions in hot and dense matter that is consistent with the nuclear equation of state has a strong impact on the spectra of the neutrinos emitted during the deleptonization period of a protoneutron star formed in a core-collapse supernova. We compare results of simulations including and neglecting mean field effects on the neutrino opacities. Their inclusion reduces the luminosities of all neutrino flavors and enhances the spectral differences between electron neutrino and antineutrino. The magnitude of the difference depends on the equation of state and in particular on the symmetry energy at sub-nuclear densities. These modifications reduce the proton-to-nucleon ratio of the neutrino-driven outflow, increasing slightly their entropy. They are expected to have a substantial impact on the nucleosynthesis in neutrino-driven winds, even though they do not result in conditions that favor an r-process. Contrarily to previous findings, our simulations show that the spectra of electron neutrinos remain substantially different from those of other (anti)neutrino flavors during the entire deleptonization phase of the protoneutron star. The obtained luminosity and spectral changes are also expected to have important consequences for neutrino flavor oscillations and neutrino detection on Earth.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Very low-energy neutrino interactions

Neutrino-nucleus reaction cross sections are now evaluated rather accurately by shell-model (SM) or SM+RPA calculations based on recent advances in nuclear structure studies. Due to these achievements, reliable constraints on super-nova neutrino temperatures as well as neutrino oscillation parameters become possible. Supernova neutrino tempeatures are constrained from abundances of elements obtained by using new ν-nucleus reaction cross sections. A possibility of constructing supernova neutrino spectrum from beta-beam measurements is pointed out. Neutrino mass hierarchy and mixing angle θ{sub 13} can be determined from abundance ratio of {sup 7}Li/{sup 11}B, which is sensitive to the MSW matter oscillation effects in supernova explosions. Inverted mass hierarchy is shown to be statistically more favored based on a recent analysis of presolar grains. Effects of neutrino-neutrino interactions are also shown to play important roles in r-process nucleosynthesis. Importance and possibilities of direct measurements of ν-induced cross sections on {sup 40}Ar and {sup 208}Pb are discussed for future supernova neutrino detections. Recent calculations of the cross sections for ν-{sup 40}Ar are presented. The need for new theoretical evaluations of the cross sections for ν-{sup 208}Pb is pointed out. Challenges to experiments on coherent elastic scattering are presented.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

DETAILED ABUNDANCES OF TWO VERY METAL-POOR STARS IN DWARF GALAXIES

The most metal-poor stars in dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) can show the nucleosynthetic patterns of one or a few supernovae (SNe). These SNe could have zero metallicity, making metal-poor dSph stars the closest surviving links to Population III stars. Metal-poor dSph stars also help to reveal the formation mechanism of the Milky Way (MW) halo. We present the detailed abundances from Keck/HIRES spectroscopy for two very metal-poor stars in two MW dSphs. One star, in the Sculptor dSph, has [Fe I/H] = -2.40. The other star, in the Ursa Minor dSph, has [Fe I/H] = -3.16. Both stars fall in the previously discovered low-metallicity, high-[{alpha}/Fe] plateau. Most abundance ratios of very metal-poor stars in these two dSphs are largely consistent with very metal-poor halo stars. However, the abundances of Na and some r-process elements lie at the lower end of the envelope defined by inner halo stars of similar metallicity. We propose that the metallicity dependence of SN yields is the cause. The earliest SNe in low-mass dSphs have less gas to pollute than the earliest SNe in massive halo progenitors. As a result, dSph stars at -3 < [Fe/H] < -2 sample SNe with [Fe/H] << -3, whereas halo stars in the same metallicity range sample SNe with [Fe/H] {approx} -3. Consequently, enhancements in [Na/Fe] and [r/Fe] were deferred to higher metallicity in dSphs than in the progenitors of the inner halo.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗