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@PHDTHESIS{Martin:209916,
author = {Martin, Dirk},
othercontributors = {Arcones Segovia, Almudena},
title = {r-process nucleosynthesis: on the astrophysical conditions
and the impact of nuclear physics input},
school = {TU Darmstadt},
type = {Dissertation},
address = {Darmstadt},
publisher = {TU Darmstadt},
reportid = {GSI-2018-00645},
pages = {113 p.},
year = {2017},
note = {Arcones Segovia, Prof. Dr. Almudena and Wambach, Prof. Dr.
Jochen; Dissertation, TU Darmstadt, 2017},
abstract = {The origin of the heaviest elements in our Universe is an
unresolved mystery. We know that half of the elements
heavier than iron are created by the rapid neutron capture
process (r-process). The r-process requires an extremely
neutron-rich environment as well as an explosive scenario.
Naturally, the merger of a neutron star with another compact
object provides suitable conditions. In particular, neutron
star mergers present the most promising astrophysical site
for the r-process.In this thesis, we study the r-process
nucleosynthesis in the material ejected from neutron star
mergers from two sites. First, we compute the detailed
r-process abundances for the different kinds of ejecta from
these systems, probing the astrophysical conditions. Second,
we determine the impact of the nuclear physics input on the
final abundance yields.For our comprehensive nucleosynthesis
study, we use hydrodynamical conditions from recent
astrophysical simulations of neutron star mergers in 3D. We
calculate for the first time the mass-integrated
nucleosynthesis yields of the dynamic ejecta and of the
neutrino-driven wind. The separation of timescales allows a
separate treatment of these two ejecta. We find that the
dynamic ejecta carry a substantial neutron-rich component to
produce a successful r-process. Since in all current
simulations only an approximate neutrino treatment is
computationally feasible, we explore the possible impact of
weak reactions. In our post-processing procedure, we see a
decrease in neutron-richness, such that a successful
r-process to the heaviest elements can be prevented. For the
subsequent neutrino-driven wind, we find that the
nucleosynthesis yields depend sensitively on both the life
time of the massive neutron star and the polar angle. Matter
in excess of up to $9 \cdot 10^{-3} M_\odot$ becomes unbound
until $\sim 200$~ms in the aftermath of the merger, similar
the ejected mass from the dynamic ejecta. Here, electron
fractions of $\Ye \approx 0.2 - 0.4$ lead to the production
of mainly nuclei with mass numbers $A < 130$. This
complements the yields from the earlier dynamic ejecta. We
consider mixing scenarios with these two types of ejecta to
explain the abundance pattern in r-process enriched
metal-poor stars. Additionally, we calculate heating rates
for the decay of the freshly produced radioactive isotopes.
The resulting light curve, known as kilonova, peaks in the
blue band after about four hours. Furthermore, high
opacities due to heavy r-process nuclei in the dynamic
ejecta lead to a second peak in the infrared after three to
four days.From the nuclear physics side, we investigate the
impact of the nuclear physics input on the nucleosynthesis.
Here, nuclear masses play a fundamental role in
understanding how the heaviest elements are created in the
r-process. Using masses obtained with six Skyrme energy
density functionals that are based on different optimization
protocols, we calculate neutron capture and
photodissociation rates. We predict r-process
nucleosynthesis yields in realistic astrophysical scenarios
and determine for the first time systematic uncertainty
bands for r-process abundances related to mass modeling. We
find that features of the underlying microphysics make an
imprint on abundances especially in the vicinity of neutron
shell closures. Abundance peaks and troughs are reflected in
the trends of neutron separation energy. Further advances in
the nuclear theory and experiments, when linked to
observations, will help in the understanding of
astrophysical conditions in extreme r-process sites.},
cin = {THE},
cid = {I:(DE-Ds200)THE-20051214OR028},
pnm = {612 - Cosmic Matter in the Laboratory (POF3-612) /
HGF-IVF-VH-GS-201 - HGS-HIRe : (HGF-IVF-VH-GS-201) /
HGF-IVF-VH-NG-825 - VH-NG-825 : Theorie, Core-collapse
supernovae: nuclei and matter at the extremes
(HGF-IVF-VH-NG-825)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF3-612 / G:(DE-Ds200)HGF-IVF-VH-GS-201 /
G:(DE-Ds200)HGF-IVF-VH-NG-825},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)11},
urn = {urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-63017},
url = {https://repository.gsi.de/record/209916},
}