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At least 37 records · Page 2

Production of Lithium, Beryllium, and Boron from Baryon inhomogeneous primordial nucleosynthesis

We investigate the possibility that inhomogeneous nucleosynthesis may eventually be used to explain the abundances of Li-6, Be-9, and B in Population II stars. The present work differs from previous studies in that we have used a more extensive reaction network. It is demonstrated that in the simplest scenario the abundances of the light elements with A less than or = 7 constrain the separation of inhomogeneities to sufficently small scales that the model is indistinguishable from homogeneous nucleosynthesis and that the abundnace of Li-6, Be-9, and B are then below observations by several orders of magnitude. This conclusion does not depend on the Li-7 constraint. We also examine alternative scenarios which involve a post-nucleosynthesis reprocessing of the light elements to reproduce the observed abundances of Li and B, while allowing for a somewhat higher baryon density (still well below the cosmological critical density). Future B/H measurements may be able to exclude even this exotic scenario and further restrict primirdial nucleosynthesis to approach the homogeneous model conclusions.

Thomas, David↗

The Karlsruhe Astrophysical Database of Nucleosynthesis in Stars Project – Status and Prospects

The KADoNiS (Karlsruhe Astrophysical Database of Nucleosynthesis in Stars) project is an astrophysical online database for cross sections relevant for nucleosynthesis in the s process and the γ process. The s-process database ( (http://www.kadonis.org)) was started in 2005 and is presently facing its 4th update (KADoNiS v1.0). The γ-process database (KADoNiS-p, (http://www.kadonis.org/pprocess)) was recently revised and re-launched in March 2013. Both databases are compilations for experimental cross sections with relevance to heavy ion nucleosynthesis. For the s process recommended Maxwellian averaged cross sections for kT=5−100 keV are given for more than 360 isotopes between {sup 1}H and {sup 210}Bi. For the γ-process database all available experimental data from (p,γ),(p,n),(p,α),(α,γ),(α,n), and (α,p) reactions between {sup 70}Ge and {sup 209}Bi in or close to the respective Gamow window were collected and can be compared to theoretical predictions. The aim of both databases is a quick and user-friendly access to the available data in the astrophysically relevant energy regions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

The γ -process nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae

The γ-process nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae is generally accepted as a feasible process for the synthesis of neutron-deficient isotopes beyond iron. However, crucial discrepancies between theory and observations still exist: the average yields of γ-process nucleosynthesis from massive stars are still insufficient to reproduce the solar distribution in galactic chemical evolution calculations, and the yields of the Mo and Ru isotopes are a factor of ten lower than the yields of the other γ-process nuclei. We investigate the γ-process in five sets of core-collapse supernova models published in the literature with initial masses of 15, 20, and 25 M ⊙ at solar metallicity. We compared the γ-process overproduction factors from the different models. To highlight the possible effect of nuclear physics input, we also considered 23 ratios of two isotopes close to each other in mass relative to their solar values. Further, we investigated the contribution of C–O shell mergers in the supernova progenitors as an additional site of the γ-process. Our analysis shows that a large scatter among the different models exists for both the γ-process integrated yields and the isotopic ratios. We find only ten ratios that agree with their solar values, all the others differ by at least a factor of three from the solar values in all the considered sets of models. The γ-process within C–O shell mergers mostly influences the isotopic ratios that involve intermediate and heavy proton-rich isotopes with A > 100. We conclude that there are large discrepancies both among the different data sets and between the model predictions and the solar abundance distribution. More calculations are needed; particularly updating the nuclear network, because the majority of the models considered in this work do not use the latest reaction rates for the γ-process nucleosynthesis. Moreover, the role of C–O shell mergers requires further investigation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Primordial nucleosynthesis: A cosmological point of view

Primordial nucleosynthesis remains as one of the pillars of modern cosmology. It is the test-ing ground upon which all cosmological models must ultimately rest. It is our only probe of the universe during the first few minutes of cosmic expansion and in particular during the important radiation-dominated epoch. These lectures review the basic equations of space-time, cosmology, and big bang nucleosynthesis. We will then review the current state of observational constraints on primordial abundances along with the key nuclear reactions and their uncertainties. We summarize which nuclear measure-ments are most crucial during the big bang. We also review various cosmological models and their constraints. In particular, we summarize the constraints that big bang nucleosynthesis places upon the possible time variation of fundamental constants, along with constraints on the nature and origin of dark matter and dark energy, long-lived supersymmetric particles, gravity waves, and the primordial magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Big bang nucleosynthesis revisited via Trojan Horse method measurements

Nuclear reaction rates are among the most important input for understanding primordial nucleosynthesis and, therefore, for a quantitative description of the early universe. An up-to-date compilation of direct cross-sections of {sup 2}H(d, p){sup 3}H, {sup 2}H(d, n){sup 3}He, {sup 7}Li(p, α){sup 4}He, and {sup 3}He(d, p){sup 4}He reactions is given. These are among the most uncertain cross-sections used and input for big bang nucleosynthesis calculations. Their measurements through the Trojan Horse method are also reviewed and compared with direct data. The reaction rates and the corresponding recommended errors in this work were used as input for primordial nucleosynthesis calculations to evaluate their impact on the {sup 2}H, {sup 3,4}He, and {sup 7}Li primordial abundances, which are then compared with observations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Statistical methods for thermonuclear reaction rates and nucleosynthesis simulations

Rigorous statistical methods for estimating thermonuclear reaction rates and nucleosynthesis are becoming increasingly established in nuclear astrophysics. The main challenge being faced is that experimental reaction rates are highly complex quantities derived from a multitude of different measured nuclear parameters (e.g., astrophysical S-factors, resonance energies and strengths, particle and γ-ray partial widths). We discuss the application of the Monte Carlo method to two distinct, but related, questions. First, given a set of measured nuclear parameters, how can one best estimate the resulting ther- monuclear reaction rates and associated uncertainties? Second, given a set of appropriate reaction rates, how can one best estimate the abundances from nucleosynthesis (i.e., reaction network) calculations? The techniques described here provide probability density functions that can be used to derive statisti- cally meaningful reaction rates and final abundances for any desired coverage probability. Examples are given for applications to s-process neutron sources, core-collapse supernovae, classical novae, and Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Systematic exploration of heavy element nucleosynthesis in protomagnetar outflows

ABSTRACT We study the nucleosynthesis products in neutrino-driven winds from rapidly rotating, highly magnetized and misaligned protomagnetars using the nuclear reaction network SkyNet. We adopt a semi-analytic parametrized model for the protomagnetar and systematically study the capabilities of its neutrino-driven wind for synthesizing nuclei and eventually producing ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). We find that for neutron-rich outflows (Ye < 0.5), synthesis of heavy elements ($\overline{A}\sim 20-65$) is possible during the first $\sim 10\, {\rm s}$ of the outflow, but these nuclei are subjected to composition-altering photodisintegration during the epoch of particle acceleration at the dissipation radii. However, after the first $\sim 10\, {\rm s}$ of the outflow, nucleosynthesis reaches lighter elements ($\overline{A}\sim 10-50$) that are not subjected to subsequent photodisintegration. For proton-rich (Ye ≥ 0.5) outflows, synthesis is more limited ($\overline{A}\sim 4-15$). These suggest that while protomagnetars typically do not synthesize nuclei heavier than second r-process peak elements, they are intriguing sources of intermediate/heavy mass UHECRs. For all configurations, the most rapidly rotating protomagnetars are more conducive for nucleosynthesis with a weaker dependence on the magnetic field strength.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Fast, differentiable, and extensible big bang nucleosynthesis package

Here, we introduce light isotope nucleosynthesis with JAX (LINX), a new differentiable public big bang nucleosynthesis code designed for fast parameter estimation. By leveraging JAX, LINX achieves both speed and differentiability, enabling the use of Bayesian inference, including gradient-based methods. We discuss the formalism used in LINX for rapid primordial elemental abundance predictions and give examples of how LINX can be used. When combined with differentiable cosmic microwave background power spectrum emulators, LINX can be used for joint cosmic microwave background and big bang nucleosynthesis analyses without requiring extensive computational resources, including on personal hardware.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The Origin of Chemical Elements: Connecting Laboratory Nuclear Astrophysics with Astronomical Observations through Nucleosynthesis Modeling

Nuclear astrophysics is a field at the frontier of nuclear science which continues to enjoy significant progress and exciting prospects for the future. It addresses the fundamental question of where and how the chemical elements are made. Except for hydrogen and helium, all other chemical elements are made either in stars or in cosmic explosions such as supernovae or neutron star mergers. To understand the formation of elements we need to understand the relevant nuclear physics processes that govern the interaction between nuclei. We need to understand the conditions in the star or the explosion under which these nuclear processes take place. And we need to understand how individual events of element formation contribute to the overall chemical enrichment of our Galaxy over time. Experimental facilities allow for terrestrial experiments on the nuclear physics governing the element synthesis. Earth-based and space-based telescopes probe the Galaxy around us and provide information about the conditions in stars and supernovae, and about the chemical element enrichment of these different environments. Numerical simulations of stars, supernovae, and other astrophysical phenomena allow us to probe the conditions of extreme densities and temperatures required for element synthesis. Nucleosynthesis research is ideally posed to integrate advances from all three of these areas and advance our understanding of how and where elements are made. Nucleosynthesis research provides theory support for experiments and observations. And it makes predictions that can be tested in nuclear physics experiments and astronomical observations. The goals of this award were in three main areas: 1. Develop and implement an effective core-collapse supernova model that is computationally efficient and that captures the relevant physics for the scientific questions of interest 2. Advance our understanding of the synthesis of the lightest heavy elements 3. Increase the realism of supernova nucleosynthesis and determine its dependence on the properties of the exploding star As the projects progressed, an additional focus was added to this list: 1. Study the explosion properties and the signals from the most massive stars.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Active–Sterile Neutrino Oscillations in Neutrino-driven Winds: Implications for Nucleosynthesis

A protoneutron star produced in a core-collapse supernova (CCSN) drives a wind by its intense neutrino emission. We implement active–sterile neutrino oscillations in a steady-state model of this neutrino-driven wind to study their effects on the dynamics and nucleosynthesis of the wind in a self-consistent manner. Using vacuum mixing parameters indicated by some experiments for a sterile ν s of ~1 eV in mass, we observe interesting features of oscillations due to various feedback. For the higher ν s mass values, we find that oscillations can reduce the mass-loss rate and the wind velocity by a factor of ~1.6–2.7 and change the electron fraction critical to nucleosynthesis by a significant to large amount. In the most dramatic cases, oscillations shift nucleosynthesis from dominant production of 45 Sc to that of 86 Kr and 90 Zr during the early epochs of the CCSN evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Optimization of a high-yield, low-areal-density fusion product source at the National Ignition Facility with applications in nucleosynthesis experiments

Polar-direct-drive exploding pushers are used as a high-yield, low-areal-density fusion product source at the National Ignition Facility with applications including diagnostic calibration, nuclear security, backlighting, electron-ion equilibration, and nucleosynthesis-relevant experiments. In this paper, two different paths to improving the performance of this platform are explored: (i) optimizing the laser drive, and (ii) optimizing the target. While the present study is specifically geared towards nucleosynthesis experiments, the results are generally applicable. Example data from T 2 / 3 He-gas-filled implosions with trace deuterium are used to show that yield and ion temperature (Tion) from 1.6 mm-outer-diameter thin-glass-shell capsule implosions are improved at a set laser energy by switching from a ramped to a square laser pulse shape, and that increased laser energy further improves yield and Tion, although by factors lower than predicted by 1 D simulations. Using data from D2-3He-gas-filled implosions, yield at a set Tion is experimentally verified to increase with capsule size. Uniform D-3He-proton spectra from 3 mm-outer-diameter CH shell implosions demonstrate the utility of this platform for studying charged-particle-producing reactions relevant to stellar nucleosynthesis.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Trojan Horse cross section measurements and their impact on primordial nucleosynthesis

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) nucleosynthesis requires several nuclear physics inputs and, among them, an important role is played by nuclear reaction rates. They are among the most important input for a quantitative description of the early Universe. An up-to-date compilation of direct cross sections of d(d,p)t, d(d,n) 3 He and 3 He(d,p) 4 He reactions is given, being these ones among the most uncertain bare-nucleus cross sections. An intense experimental effort has been carried on in the last decade to apply the Trojan Horse Method (THM) to study reactions of relevance for the BBN and measure their astrophysical S(E)-factor. The result of these recent measurements is reviewed and compared with the available direct data. The reaction rates and the relative error for the four reactions of interest are then numerically calculated in the temperature ranges of relevance for BBN (0.01 9 <10) and compared with up-to-date reaction rate compilations. Their value were therefore used as input physics for primordial nucleosynthesis calculations in order to evaluate their impact on the calculated primordial abundances of D, 3,4 He and 7 Li. These ones were then compared with the observational primordial abundance estimates in different astrophysical sites. A comparison was also performed with calculations using other reaction rates compilations available in literature.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Signatures of hypermassive neutron star lifetimes on r-process nucleosynthesis in the disc ejecta from neutron star mergers

We investigate the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in the winds ejected by accretion discs formed in neutron star mergers. We compute the element formation in disc outflows from hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) remnants of variable lifetime, including the effect of angular momentum transport in the disc evolution. We employ long-term axisymmetric hydrodynamic disc simulations to model the ejecta, and compute r-process nucleosynthesis with tracer particles using a nuclear reaction network containing ~8000 species. We find that the previously known strong correlation between HMNS lifetime, ejected mass and average electron fraction in the outflow is directly related to the amount of neutrino irradiation on the disc, which dominates mass ejection at early times in the form of a neutrino-driven wind. Production of lanthanides and actinides saturates at short HMNS lifetimes (≲10 ms), with additional ejecta contributing to a blue optical kilonova component for longer-lived HMNSs. We find good agreement between the abundances from the disc outflow alone and the solar r-process distribution only for short HMNS lifetimes (≲10 ms). For longer lifetimes, the rare-earth and third r-process peaks are significantly underproduced compared to the solar pattern, requiring additional contributions from the dynamical ejecta. The nucleosynthesis signature from a spinning black hole (BH) can only overlap with that from an HMNS of moderate lifetime (≲60 ms). Finally, we show that angular momentum transport not only contributes with a late-time outflow component, but that it also enhances the neutrino-driven component by moving material to shallower regions of the gravitational potential, in addition to providing additional heating.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Constraining the destruction rate of K 40 in stellar nucleosynthesis through the study of the Ar 40 ( p , n ) K 40 reaction

Background: We present that K 40 plays a significant role in the radiogenic heating of Earth-like exoplanets, which can affect the development of a habitable environment on their surfaces. The initial amount of K 40 in the interior of these planets depends on the composition of the interstellar clouds from which they formed. Within this context, nuclear reactions that regulate the production of K 40 during stellar evolution can play a critical role. Purpose: In this study, we constrain for the first time the astrophysical reaction rate of K 40 ( n , p ) Ar 40 , which is responsible for the destruction of K 40 during stellar nucleosynthesis. We provide to the nuclear physics community high-resolution data on the cross section and angular distribution of the Ar 40 ( p , n ) K 40 reaction. These are important to various applications involving Ar 40 . The associated reaction rate of the Ar 40 ( p , n ) K 40 process addresses a reaction rate gap in the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics REACLIB database in the region of intermediate-mass isotopes. Methods: We performed differential cross-section measurements on the Ar 40 ( p , n ) K 40 reaction, for six energies in the center-of-mass system between 3.2 and 4.0 MeV and various angles between 0 ° and 135 ° . The experiment took place at the Edwards Accelerator Laboratory at Ohio University using the beam swinger target location and a standard neutron time-of-flight technique. We extracted total and partial cross sections by integrating the double differential cross sections we measured. Results: The total and partial cross sections varied with energy due to the contribution from isobaric analog states and Ericson type fluctuations. The energy-averaged neutron angular distributions were symmetrical relative to 90 ° . Based on the experimental data, local transmission coefficients were extracted and were used to calculate the astrophysical reaction rates of Ar 40 ( p , n ) K 40 and K 40 ( n , p ) Ar 40 reactions. The new rates were found to vary significantly from the theoretical rates in the REACLIB library. We implemented the new rates in network calculations to study nucleosynthesis via the slow neutron capture process, and we found that the produced abundance of K 40 is reduced by up to 10% compared to calculations with the library rates. At the same time, the above result removes a significant portion of the previous theoretical uncertainty on the K 40 yields from stellar evolution calculations. Conclusions: Our results support a destruction rate of K 40 in massive stars via the K 40 ( n , p ) Ar 40 reaction that is larger compared to previous estimates. The rate of K 40 destruction via the K 40 ( n , p ) Ar 40 reaction now has a dramatically reduced uncertainty based on our measurement. Lastly, this result directly affects the predicted stellar yields of K 40 from nucleosynthesis, which is a critical input parameter for the galactic chemical evolution models that are currently employed for the study of significant properties of exoplanets.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Modeling Astrophysical Explosions and the Nucleosynthesis of the Heavy Elements

The heavier elements in the Universe were created and dispersed in the supernova explosions of stars. These events involve a fascinating interplay of nuclear physics, gravity, hydrodynamics, neutrino and photon transport, and radioactive decay, all occurring under extreme conditions. Astronomical experiments provide a rich and constraining data set, but our theoretical understanding of supernovae remains incomplete. The goal of this project is to advance numerical models of astrophysical explosions and use them to connect the nuclear theory of supernovae to current observational and experimental programs. Our contributions focus on one important aspect of the problem --modeling the transport of radiation (both neutrino and electromagnetic) which is essential to understanding the supernova explosion mechanism, the resulting nucleosynthesis, and the observable spectra and light curves. We will exploit recent advances in high performance computing to improve 3-dimensional simulations of core collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers. The benefits include: 1) Further defining the explosive astrophysical environments that govern the nucleosynthesis of r-process nuclei. 2) Preparing the way for more realistic treatments of neutrino interactions, with the ultimate goal of making supernovae a testing ground for probing fundamental neutrino physics, e.g., unknown mixing angles and new aspects of the MSW mechanism. 3) Providing a means for testing explosion simulations and nucleosynthesis calculations against data from optical and x-ray telescopes, thereby permitting the experimental validation or falsification of supernova models. 4) Helping position nuclear physics, through the development of new algorithms of the type incorporated in our simulation codes, to play a leading role in DOE large scale computing.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

The Dependence of Iron-rich Metal-poor Star Occurrence on Galactic Environment Supports an Origin in Thermonuclear Supernova Nucleosynthesis

It has been suggested that a class of chemically peculiar metal-poor stars called iron-rich metal-poor (IRMP) stars formed from molecular cores with metal contents dominated by thermonuclear supernova nucleosynthesis. If this interpretation is accurate, then IRMP stars should be more common in environments where thermonuclear supernovae were important contributors to chemical evolution. Conversely, IRMP stars should be less common in environments where thermonuclear supernovae were not important contributors to chemical evolution. At constant [Fe/H] ≲ -1, the Milky Way's satellite classical dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies and the Magellanic Clouds have lower [α/Fe] than the Milky Way field and globular cluster populations. This difference is thought to demonstrate the importance of thermonuclear supernova nucleosynthesis for the chemical evolution of the Milky Way's satellite classical dSph galaxies and the Magellanic Clouds. We use data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment and Gaia to infer the occurrence of IRMP stars in the Milky Way's satellite classical dSph galaxies η dSph and the Magellanic Clouds η Mag , as well as in the Milky Way field η MWF and globular cluster populations η MWGC . In order of decreasing occurrence, we find η dSph = $0.07$$^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$, η Mag = $0.037$$^{+0.007}_{-0.006}$, η MWF = $0.0013$$^{+0.0006}_{-0.0005}$, and a 1σ upper limit η MWGC < 0.00057. These occurrences support the inference that IRMP stars formed in environments dominated by thermonuclear supernova nucleosynthesis and that the time lag between the formation of the first and second stellar generations in globular clusters was longer than the thermonuclear supernova delay time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Impact of the Latest 22 Ne+ α Reaction Rates on Nucleosynthesis in Massive Stars and Galactic Chemical Evolution

In massive stars (initial mass of ≳9 M ⊙ ), the weak s- (slow neutron capture) process produces elements between Fe and Zr, enriching the Galaxy with these elements through core-collapse supernova explosions. The weak s-process nucleosynthesis is driven by neutrons produced in the 22 Ne(α, n) 25 Mg reaction during convective He core and C shell burning. The yields of heavy elements thus depend on the 22 Ne(α, n) 25 Mg and the competitive 22 Ne(α, γ) 26 Mg reaction rates, which are dominated by several narrow-resonance reactions. While the accuracy of these rates has been under debate for decades, recent experimental efforts, including ours, drastically reduced these uncertainties. In this work, we use a set of 280 massive star nucleosynthesis models calculated using different 22 Ne(α, n) 25 Mg and 22 Ne(α, γ) 26 Mg rates and a galactic chemical evolution (GCE) study to probe their impact on the weak s-process elemental abundances in the Galaxy. The GCE was computed with the OMEGA+ code, using the new sets of stellar yields with different 22 Ne+α rates. From GCE, we find that these rates are causing up to 0.45 dex of variations in the [Cu/Fe], [Ga/Fe], and [Ge/Fe] ratios predicted at solar metallicity. The greatest impact on the stellar nucleosynthesis and GCE results derives from uncertainties in the (α, n) strength (ωγ (α,n) ) of the E x = 11.32 MeV resonance. We show that variations observed in the GCE calculations for weak s-process elements become negligibly smaller than dispersions found in observations once the ωγ (α,n) is accurately determined within the uncertainty of 10%–20% (typically reported experimental errors for the resonance) in future nuclear physics experiments.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Optimization of a high-yield, low-areal-density fusion product source at the National Ignition Facility with applications in nucleosynthesis experiments

Polar-direct-drive exploding pushers are used as a high-yield, low-areal-density fusion product source at the National Ignition Facility with applications including diagnostic calibration, nuclear security, backlighting, electron-ion equilibration and nucleosynthesis-relevant experiments. In this paper, two different paths to improving the performance of this platform are explored: (i) optimizing the laser drive, and (ii) optimizing the target. While the present study is specifically geared towards nucleosynthesis experiments, the results are generally applicable. Example data from T[sub 2]/[sup 3]He-gas-filled implosions with trace deuterium are used to show that yield and ion temperature (T[sub ion]) from 1.6mm-outer-diameter thin-glass-shell capsule implosions are improved at a set laser energy by switching from a ramped to a square laser pulse shape, and that increased laser energy further improves yield and Tion, although by factors lower than predicted by 1D simulations. Using data from D[sub 2]/[sup 3]He-gas-filled implosions, yield at a set T[sub ion] is experimentally verified to increase with capsule size. Uniform D[sup 3]He-proton spectra from 3mm-outer-diameter CH shell implosions demonstrate the utility of this platform for studying charged-particle-producing reactions relevant to stellar nucleosynthesis.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗