Nuclear Weak Rates and Nuclear Weak Processes in Stars

TL;DR

This paper presents advanced shell-model calculations of nuclear weak rates in stellar environments, applying them to various astrophysical processes such as supernova nucleosynthesis, core evolution, and neutrino interactions, with implications for stellar evolution and neutrino physics.

Contribution

It introduces comprehensive shell-model calculations of weak rates across multiple nuclear shells, improving accuracy for astrophysical applications and addressing previous overestimations in nucleosynthesis models.

Findings

Reduced over-production of neutron-rich iron isotopes in supernova models.

Evaluated e-capture rates for $^{20}$Ne and $^{78}$Ni with improved methods.

Shorter half-lives for $N$=126 isotones than standard models.

Abstract

Nuclear weak rates in stellar environments are obtained by shell-model calculations including Gamow-Teller (GT) and spin-dipole transitions, and applied to nuclear weak processes in stars. The important roles of accurate weak rates for the study of astrophysical processes are pointed out. The weak rates in $sd$-shell are used to study the evolution of ONeMg cores in stars with 8-10 M$_{\odot}$. Cooling of the core by nuclear Urca processes, and the heating by double e-captures on $^{20}$Ne are studied. Especially, the e-capture rates for a second-forbidden transition in $^{20}$Ne are evaluated with the multipole expansion method of Walecka and Behrens-B$\ddot{\mbox{u}}$hring, and the final fate of the cores, core-collapse or thermonuclear explosion, are discussed. The weak rates in $pf$-shell are applied to nucleosynthesis of iron-group elements in Type Ia supernovae. The over-production problem of neutron-rich iron isotopes compared with the solar abundances is now reduced to be within a factor of two. The weak rates for nuclear Urca pair with $A$=31 in the island of inversion are evaluated with the effective interaction obtained by the extended Kuo-Krenciglowa method. The transition strengths and e-capture rates in $^{78}$Ni, important for core-collapse processes, are evaluated with the $pf$-$sdg$ shell, and compared with those obtained by the random-phase-approximation and an effective rate formula. $\beta$-decay rates of $N$ =126 isotones are evaluated with both the GT and first-forbidden transitions. The half-lives are found to be shorter than those obtained by standard models. Neutrino-nucleus reaction cross sections on $^{13}$C, $^{16}$O and $^{40}$Ar are obtained with new shell-model Hamiltonians. Implications on nucleosynthesis, neutrino detection, neutrino oscillations and neutrino mass hierarchy are discussed.