Explosive nucleosynthesis: nuclear physics impact using neutrino-driven wind simulations

TL;DR

This study uses hydrodynamical supernova simulations and artificial entropy increases to explore how nuclear physics influences the synthesis of heavy elements, highlighting the importance of nuclear mass models and decay processes.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of nuclear physics inputs and long-term dynamics on nucleosynthesis outcomes in neutrino-driven supernova winds.

Findings

Different nuclear mass models cause significant abundance variations.

Freeze-out effects are larger than previously estimated.

Neutron capture and beta-delayed neutron emission significantly alter final abundances.

Abstract

We present nucleosynthesis studies based on hydrodynamical simulations of core-collapse supernovae and their subsequent neutrino-driven winds. Although the conditions found in these simulations are not suitable for the rapid neutron capture (r-process) to produce elements heavier than A$\sim$130, this can be solved by artificially increasing the wind entropy. In this way one can mimic the general behavior of an ejecta where the r-process occurs. We study the impact of the long-time dynamical evolution and of the nuclear physics input on the final abundances and show that different nuclear mass models lead to significant variations in the abundances. These differences can be linked to the behavior of nuclear masses far from stability. In addition, we have analyzed in detail the effect of neutron capture and beta-delayed neutron emission when matter decays back to stability. In all our studied cases, freeze out effects are larger than previously estimated and produce substantial changes in the post freeze out abundances.