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r-Process nucleosynthesis without excess neutrons.

Bradley S Meyer1

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0978, USA. mbradle@clemson.edu

Physical Review Letters
|December 18, 2002
PubMed
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Rapidly expanding matter with high entropy can create heavy elements in a novel regime. This process, similar to early universe nucleosynthesis, enables heavy r-process element production even with unequal proton-neutron ratios.

Area of Science:

  • Nuclear Astrophysics
  • Cosmology
  • Particle Physics

Background:

  • The origin of heavy elements, particularly those produced via the r-process (rapid neutron capture), remains a significant puzzle in astrophysics.
  • Current models often associate r-process nucleosynthesis with explosive stellar environments like neutron star mergers or supernovae.
  • Understanding the conditions for heavy element synthesis is crucial for interpreting galactic chemical evolution and fundamental physics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore a previously uninvestigated regime of matter expansion and entropy for heavy-element synthesis.
  • To determine if heavy r-process nuclei can be produced under conditions different from typical astrophysical explosive environments.
  • To assess the implications of this new synthesis regime for the site of the r-process, abundance variability, and neutrino physics.

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Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of matter expansion at high entropy per nucleon.
  • Analysis of nucleosynthesis pathways under conditions of persistent disequilibrium between free nucleons and alpha particles.
  • Comparison of the explored regime with early universe nucleosynthesis and stellar explosive environments.

Main Results:

  • Matter expanding rapidly at high entropy per nucleon enters a novel heavy-element synthesis regime.
  • A persistent disequilibrium between free nucleons and alpha particles is observed in this regime.
  • This disequilibrium facilitates heavy r-process nucleus production even in matter with a proton-to-neutron ratio greater than one.

Conclusions:

  • The identified extreme regime offers a new potential site for r-process nucleosynthesis, distinct from conventional astrophysical scenarios.
  • The findings suggest a possible explanation for the variability observed in r-process element abundance yields.
  • This research provides new constraints on neutrino physics by linking nucleosynthesis outcomes to fundamental particle properties.