Mixing neutron star material into the jets in the common envelope jets supernova r-process scenario

TL;DR

This paper proposes that in the CEJSN r-process scenario, the neutron star's accretion disk can incorporate neutron-rich crust material, enriching the jets with r-process elements, thereby supporting the scenario's viability.

Contribution

It introduces the novel idea that the accretion disk can destroy and mix neutron star crust material, enhancing r-process nucleosynthesis in jets.

Findings

The accretion disk can entrain up to ~0.01 solar masses of neutron-rich crust material.

Jets can carry out 0.01-0.03 solar masses of r-process ejecta.

The process supports the CEJSN r-process scenario as a contributor to r-process nucleosynthesis.

Abstract

I find that the accretion disk around the neutron star (NS) that enters the core of a massive evolved star in the frame of the common-envelope jets supernova (CEJSN) r-process scenario can penetrate the crust of the NS, mix neutron-rich crust material into the disk, and enrich the jets that the disk launches with the neutron-rich material. As the NS accretes at high rates from the core inside which it revolves, it forms an accretion disk with high density. In the CEJSN r-process scenario, the very high density in the accretion disk results in low electron fraction gas, enabling the r-process. Jets carry the r-process elements out. The new claim in this study is that the high-density accretion disk destroys part of the NS crust and entrains this mass. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability mixes material from the deeper crust. The total neutron-rich mass that the disk mixes and the jets carry can be up to ~0.01Mo. Enriching the accretion disk with neutron-rich material ensures a low electron fraction as required by the r-process nucleosynthesis and the ejection of massive r-process ejecta, 0.01-0.03Mo. I strengthen the CEJSN r-process scenario, but do not claim it is the main r-process site. I only claim that two or more r-process sites contribute to r-process nucleosynthesis.