Our understanding of the rapid neutron capture nucleosynthesis process in universe depends on the reliability of nuclear mass predictions. Initiated by the newly developed mass table in the relativistic mean field theory (RMF), in this paper the influence of mass models on the $r$-process calculations is investigated assuming the same astrophysical conditions. The different model predictions on the so far unreachable nuclei lead to significant deviations in the calculated r-process abundances.
Low-energy nuclear weak-interaction processes play important roles in many astrophysical contexts, and effective field theory is believed to be a highly useful framework for describing these processes in a model-independent manner. I present a brief account of the basic features of the nuclear effective theory approach, and some examples of actual calculations carried out in this method.
We present here a robust analytical model based on nuclear reaction theory for non-resonant fusion cross sections near Coulomb barrier. The astrophysical $S$-factors involving stable and neutron rich isotopes of C, O, Ne, Mg and Si for fusion reactions have been calculated in the centre of mass energy range of 2-30 MeV. The model is based on the tunneling through barrier arising out of nuclear, Coulomb and centrifugal potentials. Our formalism predicts precisely the suppression of $S$-factor at sub-barrier energies which are of astrophysical interest. The cross sections can be convoluted with …
Within the asymptotic theory proposed by authors R. Yarmukhamedov and K.I. Tursunmakhatov [Phys. Rev. C (submitted 2019)] for the peripheral sub- and above-barrier transfer $A$($x$, $y$)$B$ reaction in the three-body ($A$, $a$ and $y$) model ($ x$= $y$ + $a$ and $B$= $A$ + $a$, and $ a$ is a transferred particle), the analysis of the experimental angular distributions of the differential cross sections is performed for the peripheral proton and triton transfer ${\rm{^9Be(^{10}B,\,^9Be)^{10}B}}$, ${\rm{^{16}O(^3He}},\,d{\rm{)^{17}F}}$ and ${\rm{^{19}F(}}p,\,α{\rm{)^{16}O}}$ reactions at above-a…
The nucleardatapy toolkit for simple access to experimental nuclear data, astrophysical observations, and theoretical predictions
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Michigan State University（密歇根州立大学稀有同位束设施）；Université de Toulouse, CNES, UPS-OMP（图卢兹大学, 法国国家空间研究中心, 图卢兹第三大学/观测物理研究所）；International Research Laboratory on Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, Michigan State University and CNRS（密歇根州立大学和法国国家科学研究中心核物理与天体物理学国际研究实验室）；Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics (INPP), Ohio University（俄亥俄大学核与粒子物理研究所）；Departamento de Física e Laboratório de Computação Científica Avançada e Modelamento (Lab-CCAM), Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica, DCTA（巴西航空技术学院应用科学与建模高级计算实验室）；Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室理论部）；Department of Physics, University of Guelph（圭尔夫大学物理系）；Institut für Physik und Astronomie, Universität Potsdam（波茨坦大学物理与天文研究所）；IRAP, CNRS（法国国家科学研究中心研究天体物理研究所）；Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Catania, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catani（意大利国家核物理研究院卡塔尼亚分部, 卡塔尼亚大学“埃托雷·马约拉纳”物理与天文学系）
The halo effect in the final states of astrophysically relevant direct neutron--capture reactions by neutron--rich nuclei is discussed. As an example, we calculate the cross sections for $^{18}$O(n,$γ$)$^{19}$O at thermonuclear and thermal energies.
We calculate in this work the rates for the neutrino pair production by nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung taking into account the full contribution from a nuclear one-pion-exchange potential. It is shown that if the temperatures are low enough ($T \leq 20 MeV$), the integration over the nuclear part can be done for the general case, ranging from the completely degenerate (D) to the non-degenerate (ND) regime. We find that the inclusion of the full nuclear contribution enhances the neutrino pair production by $nn$ and $pp$ bremsstrahlung by a factor of about two in both the D and ND limits when co…
The impact of nuclear molecular configurations on the astrophysical S-factor for $^{16}$O + $^{16}$O is investigated within the realistic two-center shell model based on Woods-Saxon potentials. These molecular effects refer to the formation of a neck between the interacting nuclei and the radial dependent collective mass parameter. It is demonstrated that the former is crucial to explain the current experimental data with high accuracy and without any free parameter, whilst in addition the latter predicts a pronounced maximum in the S-factor. In contrast to very recent results by Jiang et al.,…
We study the combined effects of vacuum polarization, relativity, Bremsstrahlung, and atomic polarization in nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest. It is shown that these effects do not solve the longstanding differences between the experimental data of astrophysical nuclear reactions at very low energies and the theoretical calculations which aim to include electron screening.
The Trojan Horse (TH) method is a powerful indirect technique that provides information to determine astrophysical factors for rearrangement processes at astrophysically relevant energies. A short coming for understanding the reliability of the technique has been determining the importance of nuclear and Coulomb effects on the energy dependence of the yield. Using a simple model, we demonstrate that off-energy-shell and Coulomb effects in the entry channel and the final state nuclear interactions do not change the energy dependence of the astrophysical factor extracted from the TH reaction. So…
Taking into account the terrestrial experiments and the recent astrophysical observations of neutron stars and gravitational-wave signals, we impose restrictions on the equation of state (EoS) for isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter. Using the relativistic mean-field model with SU(3) flavor symmetry, we investigate the impacts of effective nucleon mass, nuclear incompressibility, and slope parameter of nuclear symmetry energy on the nuclear and neutron-star properties. It is found that the astrophysical information of massive neutron stars and tidal deformabilities as well as the nuclear experim…
We discuss the effects of non-inertial motion in reactions occurring in laboratory, stars, and elsewhere. It is demonstrated that non-inertial effects due to large accelerations during nuclear collisions might have appreciable effects nuclear and atomic transitions. We also explore the magnitude of the corrections induced by strong gravitational fields on nuclear reactions in massive, compact stars, and the neighborhood of black holes.
Nuclear reactions in stars are difficult to measure directly in the laboratory at the small astrophysical energies. In recent years indirect methods with rare isotopes have been developed and applied to extract low-energy astrophysical cross sections.
We construct a complete equation of state (EOS) covering a wide range of temperature, proton fraction, and baryon density for the use of astrophysical simulations. We employ the relativistic mean-field (RMF) theory to describe nuclear interactions and adopt the Thomas-Fermi approximation to describe the nonuniform nuclear matter. The uniform matter and nonuniform matter are studied consistently using the same RMF theory.
A microscopic approach to the proton-neutron nuclear response is formulated in the finite-temperature relativistic nuclear field theory framework. The approach is based on the meson-nucleon Lagrangian of quantum hadrodynamics and advances the relativistic field theory for spin-isospin response beyond the finite-temperature random phase approximation. The dynamical contribution to the in-medium proton-neutron interaction amplitude is described in a parameter-free way by the coupling between the single nucleons and strongly-correlated particle-hole excitations (phonons) within the newly develope…
We study the effect of vacuum polarization in nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest. This effect has the opposite sign compared to the screening by the atomic electrons. It is shown that vacuum polarization further increases the longstanding differences between the experimental data of astrophysical nuclear reactions at very low energies and the theoretical calculations which aim to include electron screening, albeit by a small amount.
Accurate nuclear reaction rates are needed for primordial nucleosynthesis and hydrostatic burning in stars. The relevant reactions are extremely difficult to measure directly in the laboratory at the small astrophysical energies. In recent years direct reactions have been developed and applied to extract low-energy astrophysical S-factors. These methods require a combination of new experimental techniques and theoretical efforts, which are the subject of this presentation.
A new analysis of the precise experimental astrophysical S-factors for the direct capture $^7Be(p,γ)$ $^8B$ reaction [A.J.Junghans et al.Phys.Rev. C 68 (2003) 065803 and L.T. Baby et al. Phys.Rev. C 67 (2003) 065805] is carried out based on the modified two - body potential approach in which the direct astrophysical S-factor, $ {\rm S_{17}(E)}$, is expressed in terms of the asymptotic normalization constants for $p+^7Be\to ^8B$ and two additional conditions are involved to verify the peripheral character of the reaction under consideration. The Woods-Saxon potential form is used for the bound …
A simple description for obtaining the parity distribution of nuclear levels in the pf + g9/2 shell as a function of excitation energy was recently derived. We implement this in a global nuclear level density model. In the framework of the statistical model, cross sections and astrophysical reaction rates are calculated in the Fe region and compared to rates obtained with the common assumption of an equal distribution of parities. We find considerable differences, especially for reactions involving particles in the exit channel.
Astrophysical environments that reach temperatures greater than $\sim$ 100 keV can have significant neutrino energy loss via both plasma processes and nuclear weak interactions. We find that nuclear processes likely produce the highest-energy neutrinos. Among the important weak nuclear interactions are both charged current channels (electron capture/emission and positron capture/emission) and neutral current channels (de-excitation of nuclei via neutrino pair emission). We show that in order to make a realistic prediction of the nuclear neutrino spectrum, one must take nuclear structure into a…
It is proposed here to investigate three major properties of the nuclear force that influence the amplitude of shell gaps, the nuclear binding energies as well as the nuclear $β$-decay properties far from stability, that are all key ingredients for modeling the r-process nucleosynthesis. These properties are derived from experiments performed in different facilities worldwide, using several various state-of-the-art experimental techniques including transfer and knockout reactions. Expected consequences on the r process nucleosynthesis as well as on the stability of super heavy elements are dis…
The cross sections for the deep sub-barrier fusion reaction of light nuclei are calculated within the theoretical framework of the selective resonant tunneling model. In this model, assumption of a complex square-well nuclear potential is invoked to describe the absorption inside the nuclear well. The theoretical estimates for these cross sections agree well with the experimentally measured values. The features of the astrophysical S-factor are derived in terms of this model. Present formalism appears to be particularly useful for the low energy resonant reactions between two charged nuclei.
Determining the Equation of State (EOS) of dense neutron-rich nuclear matter is a shared goal of both nuclear physics and astrophysics. Except possible phase transitions, the density dependence of nuclear symmetry \esym is the most uncertain part of the EOS of neutron-rich nucleonic matter especially at supra-saturation densities. Much progresses have been made in recent years in predicting the symmetry energy and understanding why it is still very uncertain using various microscopic nuclear many-body theories and phenomenological models. Simultaneously, significant progresses have also been m…
The relevant energy ranges for stellar nuclear reactions are introduced. Low-energy compound and direct reactions are discussed. Stellar modifications of the cross sections are presented. Implications for experiments are outlined.
The potential model for nuclear astrophysical reactions requires a considerably shallow nuclear potential when a square-well potential is employed to fit experimental data. We discuss the origin of this apparently different behavior from that obtained with a smooth Woods-Saxon potential, for which a deep potential is often employed. We argue that due to the sharp change of the potential at the boundary the radius parameter tends to be large in the square-well model, which results in a large absorption radius. The wave function then needs to be suppressed in the absorption region, which can eve…
This article illustrates how very small deviations from the Maxwellian exponential tail, while leaving unchanged bulk quantities, can yield dramatic effects on fusion reaction rates and discuss several mechanisms that can cause such deviations.
We tabulate the ground-state odd-proton and odd-neutron spins and parities, proton and neutron pairing gaps, binding energy, one- and two-neutron separation energies, quantities related to beta-delayed one- and two-neutron emission probabilities, beta-decay energy release and half-life with respect to Gamow-Teller decay, one- and two-proton separation energies, and alpha-decay energy release and half-life for 8979 nuclei ranging from oxygen-16 to Z = 136, A = 339 and extending from the proton drip line to the neutron drip line. Single-particle level diagrams and other quantities are also prese…
Differing reaction rates of long-lived nuclear states can force the level occupations out of thermal equilibrium, causing calculations of overall rates which rely on thermal equilibrium to be inaccurate. Therefore, nucleosynthesis calculations which include nuclei with isomers must use techniques that do not assume thermal equilibrium, and it is imperative that such techniques appropriately account for transitions between the ground and isomeric states via higher-lying levels. We develop a formalism to compute the steady state occupations of nuclear levels and apply it to the examples 26Al, 34…
A quantitative description of the properties of hot nuclear matter will be needed for the interpretation of the available and forthcoming astrophysical data, providing information on the post merger phase of a neutron star coalescence. We have employed a recently developed theoretical model, based on a phenomenological nuclear Hamiltonian including two- and three-nucleon potentials, to study the temperature dependence of average and single-particle properties of nuclear matter relevant to astrophysical applications. The possibility to represent the results of microscopic calculations using sim…
Bayesian inferences on covariant density functionals from multimessenger astrophysical data: The impacts of likelihood functions of low density matter constraints
In a previous publication [Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables 75, 1 (2000)], we had given seven parameter analytical fits to theoretical reaction rates derived from nuclear cross sections calculated in the statistical model (Hauser-Feshbach formalism) for targets with 9<Z<84 (Ne to Bi) and for a mass range reaching the neutron and proton driplines. Reactions considered were (n,gamma), (n,p), (n,alpha), (p,gamma), (p,alpha), (alpha,gamma), and their inverse reactions. On public demand, we present here the theoretical nuclear cross sections and astrophysical reaction rates from which those rate…
In a recent work, the cross section measurement of the 64Zn(p,alpha)61Cu reaction was used to prove that the standard alpha-nucleus optical potentials used in astrophysical network calculation fail to reproduce the experimental data at energies relevant for heavy element nucleosynthesis. In the present paper the analysis of the obtained experimental data is continued by comparing the results with the predictions using different parameters. It is shown that the recently suggested modification of the standard optical potential leads to a better description of the data.
The relativistic quasiparticle time-blocking approximation (RQTBA) is applied to the description of nuclear excitation modes of astrophysical interest. This method is based on the meson-nucleon Lagrangian and goes beyond the standard relativistic quasiparticle random-phase approximation (RQRPA) by treating the coupling between single quasiparticles and collective vibrations of the nucleus. We calculate electric dipole transitions and Gamow-Teller modes in the (p,n) direction in a few Sn isotopes and obtain the rates of (n,$γ$) reaction and $β^-$-decay processes, which govern the r-process nucl…
Detailed balance is often invoked in discussions of nuclear weak transitions in astrophysical environments. Satisfaction of detailed balance is rightly touted as a virtue of some methods of computing nuclear transition strengths, but we argue that it need not necessarily be strictly obeyed, especially when the system is far from weak equilibrium. We present the results of shell model calculations of nuclear weak strengths in both charged current and neutral current channels at astrophysical temperatures. Using these strengths to compute some reaction rates, we find that, despite some violation…
Microscopic optical potentials obtained by folding the DDM3Y interaction with the densities from Relativistic Mean Field approach have been utilized to evaluate S-factors of low-energy $(p,γ)$ reactions in mass 60-80 region and to compare with experiments. The Lagrangian density FSU Gold has been employed. Astrophysical rates for important proton capture reactions have been calculated to study the behaviour of rapid proton nucleosynthesis for waiting point nuclei with mass less than A=80.
Nuclear reaction rates of astrophysical applications are traditionally determined on the basis of Hauser-Feshbach reaction codes. These codes adopt a number of approximations that have never been tested, such as a simplified width fluctuation correction, the neglect of delayed or multiple-particle emission during the electromagnetic decay cascade, or the absence of the pre-equilibrium contribution at increasing incident energies. The reaction code TALYS has been recently updated to estimate the Maxwellian-averaged reaction rates that are of astrophysical relevance. These new developments enabl…
Recent analyses of several isospin effects in heavy-ion reactions have allowed us to constrain the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy at sub-saturation densities within a narrow range. Combined with constraints on the Equation of State (EOS) of symmetric nuclear matter obtained previously from analyzing the elliptic flow in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, the EOS of neutron-rich nuclear matter is thus partially constrained. Here we report effects of the partially constrained EOS of neutron-rich nuclear matter on the mass-radius correlation, moment of inertia, elliptical deformati…
Two models are presented for the description of the electron screening effects that appear in laboratory nuclear reactions at astrophysical energies. The two-electron screening energy of the first model agrees very well with the recent LUNA experimental result for the break-up reaction $% He3(He3,2p)He^{4}$, which so far defies all available theoretical models. Moreover, multi-electron effects that enhance laboratory reactions of the CNO cycle and other advanced nuclear burning stages, are also studied by means of the Thomas-Fermi model, deriving analytical formulae that establish a lower and …
In view of new constraints put forth by recent observations and measurements in the realm of astrophysics and nuclear physics, we update the non-linear realization of the sigma model as to reflect such constraints. By doing this, we obtain new equations of state that may be used to describe neutron stars. Such equations of state are obtained by investigating different ways by which the vector mesons self-interact. Furthermore, we also investigate the role played by the delta mesons in the model. As a result, we are able to develop equations of state that are in better agreement with data, such…
The productions of thorium and uranium are key ingredients in $r$-process nucleo-cosmochronology. With the combination of improved nuclear and stellar data, we have made detailed investigations on the $r$-process abundance pattern in the very metal-poor halo stars based on the classical $r$-process approach. It is found that the results are almost independent of specified simulations to observed abundances. The influence from nuclear mass uncertainties on Th/U chronometer can approach 2 Gyr. Moreover, the ages of the metal-poor stars HE 1523-0901, CS 31082-001, and BD +17$^\circ$3248 are deter…
In rapid neutron capture, or r-process, nucleosynthesis, heavy elements are built up via a sequence of neutron captures and beta decays that involves thousands of nuclei far from stability. Though we understand the basics of how the r-process proceeds, its astrophysical site is still not conclusively known. The nuclear network simulations we use to test potential astrophysical scenarios require nuclear physics data (masses, beta decay lifetimes, neutron capture rates, fission probabilities) for all of the nuclei on the neutron-rich side of the nuclear chart, from the valley of stability to the…
Owing to the presence of the Coulomb barrier at astrophysically relevant kinetic energies it is very difficult, or sometimes impossible, to measure astrophysical reaction rates in the laboratory. That is why different indirect techniques are being used along with direct measurements. Here we address two important indirect techniques, the asymptotic normalization coefficient (ANC) and the Trojan Horse (TH) methods. We discuss the application of the ANC technique for calculation of the astrophysical processes in the presence of subthreshold bound states, in particular, two different mechanisms a…
The total cross sections of the radiative neutron capture processes on 9Be, 14C, 14N, 15N, and 16O are described in the framework of the modified potential cluster model with the classification of orbital states according to Young tableaux. The continued interest in the study of these reactions is due, on the one hand, to the important role played by this process in the analysis of many fundamental properties of nuclei and nuclear reactions, and, on the other hand, to the wide use of the capture cross section data in the various applications of nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics, and, al…
The LIT approach is tested for the calculation of astrophysical S-factors. As an example the S-factor of the reaction 2H(p,gamma)3He is considered. It is discussed that a sufficiently high density of LIT states at low energies is necessary for a precise determination of S-factors. In particular it is shown that the hyperspherical basis is not very well suited for such a calculation and that a different basis system is much more advantageous. A comparison of LIT results with calculations, where continuum wave functions are explicitly used, shows that the LIT approach leads to reliable results. …
Observations of neutron stars (NSs) by the LIGO-Virgo and NICER collaborations have provided reasonably precise measurements of their various macroscopic properties. In this paper, we employ a Bayesian framework to combine them and place improved joint constraints on the properties of NS equation of state (EoS). We use a hybrid EoS formulation that employs a parabolic expansion-based nuclear empirical parameterization around the nuclear saturation density augmented by a generic 3-segment piecewise polytrope model at higher densities. Within the $90 \%$ credible level this parameterization pred…
The majority of nuclear reactions in astrophysics involve unstable nuclei which are not fully accessible by experiments yet. Therefore, there is high demand for reliable predictions of cross sections and reaction rates by theoretical means. The majority of reactions can be treated in the framework of the statistical model (Hauser-Feshbach). The global parametrizations of the nuclear properties needed for predictions far off stability probe our understanding of the strong force and take it to its limit. The sensitivity of astrophysical scenarios to nuclear inputs is illustrated in the framework…
The Coulomb dissociation method to obtain the astrophysical S-factor, $S_{17}(0)$, for the $^7$Be($p,γ)^8$B reaction at solar energies is investigated by analysing the recently measured data on the breakup reaction $^{208}$Pb$(^8$B,$^7$Be$~p)^{208}$Pb at 46.5 MeV/A beam energy. Breakup cross sections corresponding to E1, $E2$ and $M1$ transitions are calculated with a theory of Coulomb excitation that includes the effects of the Coulomb recoil as well as relativistic retardation. The interplay of nuclear and Coulomb contributions to the breakup process is studied by performing a full quantum m…
We present some results and remarks based on a combinatorial approach of the evaluation of the nuclear level density. First, we show that it is possible to extract some reliable information from the output of the program whose rough data present a strong statistical fluctuation from bin to bin. This includes smoothing and evaluation of the desired quantities. After some comments about the spin and parity distributions, we consider the question of the non-equipartition of parities, mainly, at low energies. Finally, we present a simple model to include and test this effect in the computation of …
We study the breakup of 9Li projectiles in high energy (28.5 MeV/u) collisions with heavy nuclear targets (208Pb). The wave functions are calculated using a single-particle model for 9Li, and a simple optical potential model for the scattering part. A good agreement with measured data is obtained with insignificant E2 contribution.
Some nuclear and astrophysical aspects of the r-process are discussed. Particular attention is paid to observations of abundances in metal-poor stars and their implications for the astrophysical site and yield patterns of the r-process. The effects of supernova neutrinos and related nuclear processes on the yield patterns are explored. The uncertainties in the theoretical nuclear input for the r-process are discussed and the need for experimental data is emphasized.
A generalized method to calculate the excitation-energy dependent parity ratio in the nuclear level density is presented, using the assumption of Poisson distributed independent quasi particles combined with BCS occupation numbers. It is found that it is crucial to employ a sufficiently large model space to allow excitations both from low-lying shells and to higher shells beyond a single major shell. Parity ratios are only found to equilibrate above at least 5-10 MeV of excitation energy. Furthermore, an overshooting effect close to major shells is found where the parity opposite to the ground…
In dense astrophysical plasmas, neutron capture populates highly excited nuclear states close to the neutron threshold. The impact of additional low-energy nuclear excitations via coupling to the atomic shell on the ability of the so-formed compound nucleus to retain the captured neutron is investigated. We focus on the mechanism of nuclear excitation by electron capture in plasmas characterized by electron fluxes typical for the slow neutron capture process of stellar nucleosynthesis. The small effect of this further excitation on the neutron capture and gamma decay sequence relevant for nucl…
The connection between neutrino physics, nucleosynthesis of elements in astrophysical sites, laboratory measurements with rare exotic nuclei and astronomical observations is discussed. The key role played by neutrinos is emphasized and the close connection between neutrino physics and nucleosynthesis is highlighted.
