R-process Nucleosynthesis of Subminimal Neutron Star Explosions

Abstract

We show that a minimum-mass neutron star undergoes delayed explosion after mass removal from its surface. We couple the Newtonian hydrodynamics to a nuclear reaction network of $\sim 4500$ isotopes to study the nucleosynthesis and neutrino emission during the explosion. An electron antineutrino burst with a peak luminosity of $\sim 3\times 10^{50}$ erg s${}^{-1}$ is emitted while the ejecta is heated to $\sim 10^9$ K. A robust $r$-process nucleosynthesis is realized in the ejecta. Lanthanides and heavy elements near the second and third $r$-process peaks are synthesized as end products of nucleosynthesis, suggesting that subminimal neutron star explosions could be an important source of solar chemical elements.

14 pages, 18 figures, published version

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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Stripping of a neutron star in a close binary system in a pair with a black hole
• The Influence of a Shock on the Nucleosynthesis Developing during the Explosion of a Low-Mass Neutron Star