Low-mass neutron star nucleosynthesis -- stripping scenario

TL;DR

This study investigates nucleosynthesis in low-mass neutron star crusts undergoing explosive mass loss, revealing significant production of heavy elements surpassing that in neutron star mergers.

Contribution

It introduces a new scenario of nucleosynthesis in low-mass neutron star crusts during explosive mass loss, highlighting the shock-wave process and heavy element yields.

Findings

Heavy element mass produced is about 0.041 solar masses.

Nucleosynthesis occurs mainly in the inner crust.

Explosive outer crust nucleosynthesis involves shock waves.

Abstract

This paper examines nucleosynthesis in a low-mass neutron star crust that loses mass due to accretion in a close binary system and, reaching a hydrodynamically unstable configuration explodes. The r-process proceeds mainly in the inner crust. Nucleosynthesis in the outer crust is an explosive process with a sharp increase in temperature caused by an outward-propagating shockwave (shock-wave nucleosynthesis). The number of heavy elements produced in a low-mass neutron star crust during the explosion is approximately equals 0.041 solar masses, which exceeds the number of heavy elements ejected as jets in the neutron star merger scenario.