Publications (56)
Nuclear uncertainties associated with the ejecta of a neutron-star black-hole accretion disk
M. R. Mumpower, T. M. Sprouse, J. M. Miller +5
The simulation of heavy element nucleosynthesis requires input from yet-to-be-measured nuclear properties. The uncertainty in the values of these off-stability nuclear properties p…
Neutrino Scattering, Absorption and Annihilation above the accretion disks of Gamma Ray Bursts
J. P. Kneller, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman
The central engine that drives gamma ray burst (GRB) explosions may derive from the ability of electrons/positrons and nucleons to tap into the momentum and energy from the large n…
The Influence of Beta Decay Rates on r-Process Observables
Kelsey A. Lund, J. Engel, G. C. McLaughlin +3
The rapid neutron capture process (r-process) is one of the main mechanisms whereby elements heavier than iron are synthesized, and is entirely responsible for the natural producti…
Reverse engineering nuclear properties from rare earth abundances in the process
M. R. Mumpower, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman +1
The bulk of the rare earth elements are believed to be synthesized in the rapid neutron capture process or process of nucleosynthesis. The solar -process residuals show a sm…
Neutrinos, Fission Cycling, and the r-process
J. Beun, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman +1
It has long been suggested that fission cycling may play an important role in the r-process. Fission cycling can only occur in a very neutron rich environment. In traditional calcu…
Following nuclei through nucleosynthesis: a novel tracing technique
T. M. Sprouse, M. R. Mumpower, R. Surman
Astrophysical nucleosynthesis is a family of diverse processes by which atomic nuclei undergo nuclear reactions and decays to form new nuclei. The complex nature of nucleosynthesis…
Neutron Capture Rates near A=130 which Effect a Global Change to the r-Process Abundance Distribution
R. Surman, J. Beun, G. C. McLaughlin +1
We investigate the impact of neutron capture rates near the A=130 peak on the -process abundance pattern. We show that these capture rates can alter the abundances of individual…
Neutrinos and the synthesis of heavy elements: the role of gravity
O. L. Caballero, R. Surman, G. C. McLaughlin
The synthesis of heavy elements in the Universe presents several challenges. From one side the astrophysical site is still undetermined and on other hand the input from nuclear phy…
Nucleosynthesis in the Outflow from Gamma Ray Burst Accretion Disks
R. Surman, G. C. McLaughlin, W. R. Hix
We examine the nucleosynthesis products that are produced in the outflow from rapidly accreting disks. We find that the type of element synthesis varies dramatically with the degre…
Kilonovae across the nuclear physics landscape: The impact of nuclear physics uncertainties on r-process-powered emission
Jennifer Barnes, Y. L. Zhu, K. A. Lund +5
Merging neutron stars produce "kilonovae"---electromagnetic transients powered by the decay of unstable nuclei synthesized via rapid neutron capture (the r-process) in material tha…
Neutrino oscillations above black hole accretion disks: disks with electron-flavor emission
A. Malkus, J. P. Kneller, G. C. McLaughlin +1
Black hole accretion disks can form through the collapse of rotating massive stars. These disks produce large numbers of neutrinos and antineutrinos of electron flavor that can inf…
Executive Summary of the Topical Program: Nuclear Isomers in the Era of FRIB
G. W. Misch, M. R. Mumpower, F. G. Kondev +29
We report on the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) Theory Alliance topical program "Nuclear Isomers in the Era of FRIB". We outline the many ways isomers influence and contrib…
Production of Nickel-56 in black hole-neutron star merger accretion disk outflows
R. Surman, O. L. Caballero, G. C. McLaughlin +2
The likely outcome of a compact object merger event is a central black hole surrounded by a rapidly accreting torus of debris. This disk of debris is a rich source of element synth…
Nucleosynthesis of Nickel-56 from Gamma-Ray Burst Accretion Disks
R. Surman, G. C. McLaughlin, N. Sabbatino
We examine the prospects for producing Nickel-56 from black hole accretion disks, by examining a range of steady state disk models. We focus on relatively slowly accreting disks in…
FRIB and the GW170817 Kilonova
A. Aprahamian, R. Surman, A. Frebel +45
In July 2018 an FRIB Theory Alliance program was held on the implications of GW170817 and its associated kilonova for r-process nucleosynthesis. Topics of discussion included the a…
Beta decay of r-process waiting-point nuclei in a self-consistent approach
J. Engel, M. Bender, J. Dobaczewski +2
Beta-decay rates for spherical neutron-rich r-process waiting-point nuclei are calculated within a fully self-consistent Quasiparticle Random-Phase Approximation, formulated in the…
Exploring the mass surface near the rare-earth abundance peak via precision mass measurements at JYFLTRAP
M. Vilen, J. M. Kelly, A. Kankainen +16
The JYFLTRAP double Penning trap at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line (IGISOL) facility has been used to measure the atomic masses of 13 neutron-rich rare-earth isotopes. Eig…
r-Process Nucleosynthesis in Hot Accretion Disk Flows from Black Hole - Neutron Star Mergers
R. Surman, G. C. McLaughlin, M. Ruffert +2
We consider hot accretion disk outflows from black hole - neutron star mergers in the context of the nucleosynthesis they produce. We begin with a three dimensional numerical model…
Beta-decay of nuclei around Se-90. Search for signatures of a N=56 sub-shell closure relevant the r-process
M. Quinn, A. Aprahamian, J. Pereira +26
Nuclear structure plays a significant role on the rapid neutron capture process (r-process) since shapes evolve with the emergence of shells and sub-shells. There was some indicati…
The impact of global nuclear mass model uncertainties on -process abundance predictions
M. Mumpower, R. Surman, A. Aprahamian
Rapid neutron capture or `-process' nucleosynthesis may be responsible for half the production of heavy elements above iron on the periodic table. Masses are one of the most imp…
Neutrino Spectra from Accretion Disks: Neutrino General Relativistic Effects and the Consequences for Nucleosynthesis
O. L Caballero, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman
Black hole accretion disks have been proposed as good candidates for a range of interesting nucleosynthesis, including the r-process. The presence of the black hole influences the…
Neutrinos and Nucleosynthesis in Gamma-Ray Burst Accretion Disks
R. Surman, G. C. McLaughlin
We calculate the nuclear composition of matter in accretion disks surrounding stellar mass black holes as are thought to accompany gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We follow a mass element…
Beta decay of deformed r-process nuclei near A = 80 and A= 160, including odd-A and odd-odd nuclei, with the Skyrme finite-amplitude method
T. Shafer, J. Engel, C. Fröhlich +3
After identifying the nuclei in the regions near A =80 and A = 160 for which beta-decay rates have the greatest effect on weak and main r-process abundance patterns, we apply the f…
Sensitivity of the r-process to nuclear masses
S. Brett, I. Bentley, N. Paul +2
The rapid neutron capture process (r-process) is thought to be responsible for the creation of more than half of all elements beyond iron. The scientific challenges to understandin…
Supernova Neutrinos: The Accretion Disk Scenario
G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman
Neutrinos from core collapse supernovae can be emitted from a rapidly accreting disk surrounding a black hole, instead of the canonical proto-neutron star. For Galactic events, det…
The impact of nuclear masses near on -process abundances
M. Mumpower, D. -L. Fang, R. Surman +2
We have performed for the first time a complete -process mass sensitivity study in the region. We take into account how an uncertainty in a single nuclear mass propagates…
The link between rare earth peak formation and the astrophysical site of the process
M. R. Mumpower, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman +1
The primary astrophysical source of the rare earth elements is the rapid neutron capture process ( process). The rare earth peak that is seen in the solar -process residuals…
The impact of individual nuclear masses on -process abundances
M. R. Mumpower, R. Surman, D. -L. Fang +4
We have performed for the first time a comprehensive study of the sensitivity of -process nucleosynthesis to individual nuclear masses across the chart of nuclides. Using the la…
Fission Cycling in Supernova Nucleosynthesis: Active-Sterile Neutrino Oscillations
J. Beun, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman +1
We investigate nucleosynthesis in the supernovae post-core bounce neutrino-driven wind environment in the presence of active-sterile neutrino transformation. We consider active-ste…
The Rare Earth Peak : An Overlooked r-Process Diagnostic
M. Mumpower, G. McLaughlin, R. Surman
The astrophysical site or sites responsible for the r-process of nucleosynthesis still remains an enigma. Since the rare earth region is formed in the latter stages of the r-proces…
Propagation of Statistical Uncertainties of Skyrme Mass Models to Simulations of -Process Nucleosynthesis
T. M. Sprouse, R. Navarro Perez, R. Surman +3
Uncertainties in nuclear models have a major impact on simulations that aim at understanding the origin of heavy elements in the universe through the rapid neutron capture process…
Neutrino Interactions in the Outflow from Gamma-Ray Burst Accretion Disks
R. Surman, G. C. McLaughlin
We examine the composition of matter as it flows away from gamma ray burst accretion disks, in order to determine what sort of nucleosynthesis may occur. Since there is a large flu…
Impact of newly measured \nobreakdash-delayed neutron emitters around \myisoSimp{78}{Ni} on light element nucleosynthesis in the neutrino-wind following a neutron star merger
A. Tolosa-Delgado, J. L. Tain, M. Reichert +71
Neutron emission probabilities and half-lives of 37 beta-delayed neutron emitters from 75Ni to 92Br were measured at the RIKEN Nishina Center in Japan, including 11 one-neutron and…
Horizons: Nuclear Astrophysics in the 2020s and Beyond
H. Schatz, A. D. Becerril Reyes, A. Best +162
Nuclear Astrophysics is a field at the intersection of nuclear physics and astrophysics, which seeks to understand the nuclear engines of astronomical objects and the origin of the…
The black hole spin influence on accretion disk neutrino detection
O. L. Caballero, T. Zielinski, G. C. McLaughlin +1
Neutrinos are copiously emitted from black hole accretion disks playing a fundamental role in their evolution, as well as in the production of gamma ray bursts and r-process nucleo…
Precision mass measurements on neutron-rich rare-earth isotopes at JYFLTRAP - reduced neutron pairing and implications for the -process calculations
M. Vilen, J. M. Kelly, A. Kankainen +16
The rare-earth peak in the -process abundance pattern depends sensitively on both the astrophysical conditions and subtle changes in nuclear structure in the region. This work t…
R-Process Freezeout, Nuclear Deformation, and the Rare-Earth Element Peak
R. Surman, J. Engel, J. R. Bennett +1
We use network calculations of r-process nucleosynthesis to explore the origin of the peak in the solar r-process abundance distribution near nuclear mass number A = 160. The peak…
The impact of individual nuclear properties on -process nucleosynthesis
M. R. Mumpower, R. Surman, G. C. McLaughlin +1
The astrophysical rapid neutron capture process or ` process' of nucleosynthesis is believed to be responsible for the production of approximately half the heavy element abundan…
Neutron capture on 130Sn during r-process freeze-out
J. Beun, J. C. Blackmon, W. R. Hix +3
We examine the role of neutron capture on 130Sn during r-process freeze-out in the neutrino-driven wind environment of the core-collapse supernova. We find that the global r-proces…
Propagation of Hauser-Feshbach uncertainty estimates to r-process nucleosynthesis: Benchmark of statistical property models for neutron rich nuclei far from stability
S. Nikas, G. Perdikakis, M. Beard +3
Multimessenger observations of the neutron star merger event GW170817 have re-energized the debate over the astrophysical origins of the most massive elements via the r-process nuc…
Detecting neutrinos from black hole neutron stars mergers
O. L. Caballero, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman
While it is well known that neutrinos are emitted from standard core collapse protoneutron star supernovae, less attention has been focused on neutrinos from accretion disks. These…
Fission Cycling in a Supernova r-process
J. Beun, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman +1
Recent halo star abundance observations exhibit an important feature of consequence to the r-process: the presence of a main r-process between the second and third peaks which is c…
Symmetric and Standard Matter-Neutrino Resonances Above Merging Compact Objects
A. Malkus, G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman
Matter-neutrino resonances (MNR) can occur in environments where the flux of electron antineutrinos is greater than the flux of electron neutrinos. These resonances may result in d…
Changes in r-process abundances at late times
R. Surman, J. Engel
We explore changes in abundance patterns that occur late in the r process. As the neutrons available for capture begin to disappear, a quasiequilibrium funnel shifts material into…
r-Process Nucleosynthesis: Connecting Rare-Isotope Beam Facilities with the Cosmos
C. J. Horowitz, A. Arcones, B. Côté +35
This is an exciting time for the study of r-process nucleosynthesis. Recently, a neutron star merger GW170817 was observed in extraordinary detail with gravitational waves and elec…
The sensitivity of r-process nucleosynthesis to the properties of neutron-rich nuclei
R. Surman, M. Mumpower, J. Cass +1
About half of the heavy elements in the Solar System were created by rapid neutron capture, or r-process, nucleosynthesis. In the r-process, heavy elements are built up via a seque…
Nuclear masses near that influence -process abundances
M. Mumpower, R. Surman, M. Beard +2
Nuclear masses are one of the key ingredients of nuclear physics that go into astrophysical simulations of the process. Nuclear masses effect -process abundances by entering…
Mass measurements of neutron-rich nuclides using the Canadian Penning Trap to inform predictions in the -process rare-earth peak region
D. Ray, N. Vassh, B. Liu +25
Studies aiming to determine the astrophysical origins of nuclei produced by the rapid neutron capture process ( process) rely on nuclear properties as inputs for simulations. Th…
Neutron capture rates and r-process nucleosynthesis
R. Surman, M. Mumpower, G. C. McLaughlin +3
Simulations of r-process nucleosynthesis require nuclear physics information for thousands of neutron-rich nuclear species from the line of stability to the neutron drip line. Whil…
Modeling Kilonova Light Curves: Dependence on Nuclear Inputs
Y. L. Zhu, K. Lund, J. Barnes +5
The mergers of binary neutron stars, as well as black hole-neutron star systems, are expected to produce an electromagnetic counterpart that can be analyzed to infer the element sy…
Sensitivity studies for r-process nucleosynthesis in three astrophysical scenarios
R. Surman, M. Mumpower, J. Cass +3
In rapid neutron capture, or r-process, nucleosynthesis, heavy elements are built up via a sequence of neutron captures and beta decays that involves thousands of nuclei far from s…
Gravity and Light: Combining Gravitational Wave and Electromagnetic Observations in the 2020s
R. J. Foley, K. D. Alexander, I. Andreoni +110
As of today, we have directly detected exactly one source in both gravitational waves (GWs) and electromagnetic (EM) radiation, the binary neutron star merger GW170817, its associa…
Gamma-Ray Bursts Black hole accretion disks as a site for the vp-process
L. -T. Kizivat, G. Martinez-Pinedo, K. Langanke +2
We study proton rich nucleosynthesis in windlike outflows from gamma-ray bursts accretion disks with the aim to determine if such outflows are a site of the vp-process. The efficac…
Prospects for obtaining an r-process from Gamma Ray Burst Disk Winds
G. C. McLaughlin, R. Surman
We discuss the possibility that r-process nucleosynthesis may occur in the winds from gamma ray burst accretion disks. This can happen if the temperature of the disk is sufficientl…
-delayed fission in -process nucleosynthesis
M. R. Mumpower, T. Kawano, T. M. Sprouse +4
We present -delayed neutron emission and -delayed fission calculations for heavy, neutron-rich nuclei using the coupled Quasi-Particle Random Phase Approximation plus Hause…
Californium-254 and kilonova light curves
Y. Zhu, R. T. Wollaeger, N. Vassh +13
Neutron star mergers offer unique conditions for the creation of the heavy elements and additionally provide a testbed for our understanding of this synthesis known as the -proc…