Capture reactions into borromean two-proton systems at rp-waiting points

TL;DR

This paper models two-proton borromean systems at rp-waiting points, predicting energies, structures, and capture rates crucial for understanding rapid proton capture nucleosynthesis.

Contribution

It introduces a linear relation between two- and three-body energies and provides simple analytic formulas for capture rates at rp-waiting points.

Findings

Predicted low-lying excited states in isotones after waiting points

Derived simple analytic rate expressions for proton capture

Estimated narrow intervals for capture rates at critical points

Abstract

We investigate even-even two-proton borromean systems at prominent intermediate heavy waiting points for the rapid proton capture process. The most likely single-particle levels are used to calculate three-body energy and structure as a function of proton-core resonance energy. We establish a linear dependence between two- and three-body energies with the same slope, but the absolute value slightly dependent on partial wave structure. Using these relations we predict low-lying excited states in the isotones following the critical waiting points. The capture rate for producing a borromean bound state is described both based on a full three-body calculation and on a very simple analytic rate expression for temperatures about $1-5$~GK. This rate is valid for both direct and sequential capture paths, and it only depends on the three-body resonance energy. As a result the relevant path of the radiative capture reactions can be determined. We present numerical results for $E1$ and $E2$ photon emission, and discuss occurrence preferences in general as well as relative sizes of these most likely processes. Finally, we present narrow estimated intervals for the proton capture rates relevant for the critical waiting points.