Dynamics of neutrino-driven winds: inclusion of accurate weak interaction rates in strong magnetic fields

TL;DR

This study models neutrino-driven winds from proto neutron stars, incorporating accurate weak interaction rates and magnetic fields, revealing that magnetic effects are generally minor for nucleosynthesis outcomes across different neutrino luminosities.

Contribution

It introduces detailed wind equations with precise weak interaction rates and magnetic fields, providing new insights into their combined effects on nucleosynthesis in proto neutron star winds.

Findings

Magnetic fields have limited impact at high neutrino luminosities.

Weak interactions dominate wind properties at high luminosities.

Magnetic effects significantly influence nucleosynthesis at low luminosities.

Abstract

Solving Newtonian steady-state wind equations with accurate weak interaction rates and magnetic fields (MFs) of young neutron stars considered, we study the dynamics and nucleosynthesis of neutrino-driven winds (NDWs) from proto neutron stars (PNSs). For a typical 1.4 M$_{\odot}$ PNS model, we find the nucleosynthesis products are closely related to the luminosity of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos. The lower the luminosity is, the larger effect to the NDWs caused by weak interactions and MFs is. At a high anti-neutrino luminosity of typically $8\times 10^{51}$ erg s$^{-1}$, neutrinos and anti-neutrinos dominate the processes in a NDW and the MFs hardly change the wind's properties. While at a low anti-neutrino luminosity of $10^{51}$ erg s$^{-1}$ at the late stage of a NDW, the mass of product and nucleosynthesis are changed significantly in the strong MFs, they are less important than those in the early stage when the anti-neutrino luminosity is high. Therefore for the most models considered for the NDWs from PNSs, based on our calculations the influences of MFs and the net weak interactions on the nucleosynthesis is not significant.