[Submitted on 12 Feb 2018]
-delayed fission in -process nucleosynthesis
M. R. Mumpower · T. Kawano · T. M. Sprouse · N. Vassh · E. M. Holmbeck · R. Surman · P. Moller
We present -delayed neutron emission and -delayed fission calculations for heavy, neutron-rich nuclei using the coupled Quasi-Particle Random Phase Approximation plus Hauser-Feshbach (QRPA+HF) approach. From the initial population of a compound nucleus after -decay, we follow the statistical decay taking into account competition between neutrons, -rays, and fission. We find a region of the chart of nuclides where the probability of -delayed fission is %, that likely prevents the production of superheavy elements in nature. For a subset of nuclei near the neutron dripline, neutron multiplicity and the probability of fission are both large, leading to the intriguing possibility of multi-chance -delayed fission, a new decay mode for extremely neutron-rich heavy nuclei. In this new decay mode, -decay can be followed by multiple neutron emission leading to subsequent daughter generations which each have a probability to fission. We explore the impact of -delayed fission in rapid neutron capture process (-process) nucleosynthesis in the tidal ejecta of a neutron star--neutron star merger and show that it is a key fission channel that shapes the final abundances near the second -process peak.
- Comments:
- 9 pages, 5 figures, submitted
- Subjects:
- Nuclear Theory (nucl-th); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
- arXiv:
- 1802.04398 [pdf]