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Fission cycling in a supernova r process

J. Beun, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman, and W. R. Hix
Phys. Rev. C 77, 035804 – Published 13 March 2008
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Abstract

Recent halo star abundance observations exhibit an important feature of consequence to the r process: the presence of a main r process between the second and third peaks that is consistent among halo stars. We explore fission cycling and steady β flow as the driving mechanisms behind this feature. The presence of fission cycling during the r process can account for nucleosynthesis yields between the second and third peaks, whereas the presence of steady β flow can account for consistent r-process patterns, robust under small variations in astrophysical conditions. We employ the neutrino-driven wind of the core-collapse supernova to examine fission cycling and steady β flow in the r process. As the traditional neutrino-driven wind model does not produce the required very neutron-rich conditions for these mechanisms, we examine changes to the neutrino physics necessary for fission cycling to occur in the neutrino-driven wind environment, and we explore under what conditions steady β flow is obtained.

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  • Received 9 October 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.77.035804

©2008 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

J. Beun* and G. C. McLaughlin

  • Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27595-8202, USA

R. Surman

  • Department of Physics, Union College, Schenectady, New York 12308, USA

W. R. Hix

  • Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6374, USA

  • *jbbeun@unity.ncsu.edu

See Also

Heavyweight Contender

David Lindley
Phys. Rev. Focus 21, 10 (2008)

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Issue

Vol. 77, Iss. 3 — March 2008

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