pynucastro: A Python Library for Nuclear Astrophysics

TL;DR

pynucastro 2.0 is an open source Python library that facilitates the creation, exploration, and validation of nuclear reaction networks for astrophysical simulations, incorporating new methods for rate approximation and network assessment.

Contribution

The paper introduces pynucastro 2.0 with new techniques for rate approximation, detailed balance, and network validation, enhancing its utility for astrophysical nuclear reaction modeling.

Findings

Demonstrated new methods for rate approximation and reverse rate creation

Validated the accuracy of generated nuclear reaction networks

Showcased integration of networks into simulation codes

Abstract

We describe pynucastro 2.0, an open source library for interactively creating and exploring astrophysical nuclear reaction networks. We demonstrate new methods for approximating rates and using detailed balance to create reverse rates, show how to build networks and determine whether they are appropriate for a particular science application, and discuss the changes made to the library over the past few years. Finally, we demonstrate the validity of the networks produced and share how we use pynucastro networks in simulation codes.