Application of the RMF mass model to the r-process and the influence of mass uncertainties

TL;DR

This paper applies a new relativistic mean field mass model to r-process nucleosynthesis, demonstrating how nuclear mass uncertainties impact astrophysical conditions and examining shell closure and shape transition effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mass table based on the relativistic mean field approach for r-process studies and analyzes the impact of mass uncertainties on astrophysical conditions.

Findings

Nuclear mass uncertainties significantly affect r-process site conditions.

The new mass model reproduces solar r-process abundances effectively.

Shell closures and shape transitions influence r-process nucleosynthesis.

Abstract

A new mass table calculated by the relativistic mean field approach with the state-dependent BCS method for the pairing correlation is applied for the first time to study r-process nucleosynthesis. The solar r-process abundance is well reproduced within a waiting-point approximation approach. Using an exponential fitting procedure to find the required astrophysical conditions, the influence of mass uncertainty is investigated. R-process calculations using the FRDM, ETFSI-Q and HFB-13 mass tables have been used for that purpose. It is found that the nuclear physical uncertainty can significantly influence the deduced astrophysical conditions for the r-process site. In addition, the influence of the shell closure and shape transition have been examined in detail in the r-process simulations.