Search results for "nucleosynthesis"
showing 10 items of 141 documents
New constraints on the Al 25 (p,γ) reaction and its influence on the flux of cosmic γ rays from classical nova explosions
2021
The astrophysical Al25(p,γ)Si26 reaction represents one of the key remaining uncertainties in accurately modeling the abundance of radiogenic Al26 ejected from classical novae. Specifically, the strengths of key proton-unbound resonances in Si26, that govern the rate of the Al25(p,γ) reaction under explosive astrophysical conditions, remain unsettled. Here, we present a detailed spectroscopy study of the Si26 mirror nucleus Mg26. We have measured the lifetime of the 3+, 6.125-MeV state in Mg26 to be 19(3)fs and provide compelling evidence for the existence of a 1- state in the T=1,A=26 system, indicating a previously unaccounted for=1 resonance in the Al25(p,γ) reaction. Using the presently…
Flavor versus mass eigenstates in neutrino asymmetries: implications for cosmology
2017
We show that, if they exist, lepton number asymmetries ($L_\alpha$) of neutrino flavors should be distinguished from the ones ($L_i$) of mass eigenstates, since Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) bounds on the flavor eigenstates cannot be directly applied to the mass eigenstates. Similarly, Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) constraints on mass eigenstates do not directly constrain flavor asymmetries. Due to the difference of mass and flavor eigenstates, the cosmological constraint on the asymmetries of neutrino flavors can be much stronger than conventional expectation, but not uniquely determined unless at least the asymmetry of the heaviest neutrino is well constrained. Cosmological constrain…
Reheating the Standard Model from a hidden sector
2016
We consider a scenario where the inflaton decays to a hidden sector thermally decoupled from the visible Standard Model sector. A tiny portal coupling between the hidden and the visible sectors later heats the visible sector so that the Standard Model degrees of freedom come to dominate the energy density of the Universe before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We find that this scenario is viable, although obtaining the correct dark matter abundance and retaining successful Big Bang Nucleosynthesis is not obvious. We also show that the isocurvature perturbations constituted by a primordial Higgs condensate are not problematic for the viability of the scenario.
Constraining the cosmic radiation density due to lepton number with Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
2011
The cosmic energy density in the form of radiation before and during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) is typically parameterized in terms of the effective number of neutrinos N_eff. This quantity, in case of no extra degrees of freedom, depends upon the chemical potential and the temperature characterizing the three active neutrino distributions, as well as by their possible non-thermal features. In the present analysis we determine the upper bounds that BBN places on N_eff from primordial neutrino--antineutrino asymmetries, with a careful treatment of the dynamics of neutrino oscillations. We consider quite a wide range for the total lepton number in the neutrino sector, eta_nu= eta_{nu_e}+e…
Photonuclear reactions with zinc: A case for clinical linacs
2015
WOS: 000365732300003
r‐Process Abundances and Chronometers in Metal‐poor Stars
1998
Rapid neutron-capture (i.e., r-process) nucleosynthesis calculations, employing internally consistent and physically realistic nuclear physics input (QRPA beta-decay rates and the ETFSI-Q nuclear mass model), have been made. These calculations are compared with ground-based and HST observations of neutron-capture elements in the metal poor halo stars CS 22892--052, HD 115444, HD 122563 and HD 126238. The elemental abundances in all four metal-poor stars are consistent with the solar r-process elemental distribution for the elements Z >/= 56. These results strongly suggest, at least for those elements, that the relative elemental r-process abundances have not changed over the history of t…
The $T_{z} = \pm 1 \to 0$ and $\pm 2 \to \pm 1$ Mirror Gamow--Teller Transitions in $pf$-shell Nuclei
2016
Gamow–Teller (GT) transitions are the most common weak-interaction processes in the Universe. They play important roles in various processes of nucleosynthesis, for example, in the rapid proton-capture process (rp-process). In the pf-shell region, the rp-process runs through neutron-deficient nuclei with Tz = −2, −1, and 0 mainly by means of GT and Fermi transitions, where Tz is the z component of isospin T defined by Tz = (N − Z)∕2. Under the assumption of isospin symmetry, mirror nuclei with reversed Z and N numbers, and thus with opposite signs of Tz, have the same structure. Therefore, symmetry is also expected for the GT transitions starting from and ending up in mirror nuclei. We have…
The X-ray emission of the supernova remnant W49B observed withXMM-Newton
2006
In the framework of the study of supernova remnants and their complex interaction with the interstellar medium, we report on an XMM-Newton EPIC observation of the Galactic supernova remnant W49B. We investigate the spatial distribution of the chemical and physical properties of the plasma, so as to get important constraints on the physical scenario, on the dynamics of the supernova explosion, and on the interaction of the supernova remnant with the ambient interstellar clouds. We present line images, equivalent width maps, and a spatially resolved spectral analysis of a set of homogeneous regions. The X-ray spectrum of W49B is characterized by strong K emission lines from Si, S, Ar, Ca and …
Actinides and the sources of cosmic rays
2004
Abstract The abundances of the actinide elements in the cosmic rays can provide critical constraints on the major sites of their acceleration. Using recent calculations of the r-process yields in core-collapse supernovae (SNe), we have determined the actinide abundances averaged over various assumed time intervals for their supernovae generation and their cosmic-ray acceleration. Using standard Galactic chemical evolution models, we have also determined the expected actinide abundances in the present interstellar medium. From these two components, we have calculated the U/Th and other actinide abundances expected in the SN-active cores of superbubbles, as a function of their ages and mean m…
Primordial Heavy Element Production
1995
A number of possible mechanisms have been suggested to generate density in-homogeneities in the early Universe which could survive until the onset of primordial nucleosynthesis (Malaney and Mathews 1993). In this work we are not concerned with how the inhomogeneities were generated but we want to focus on the effect of such inhomogeneities on primordial nucleosynthesis. One of the proposed signatures of inhomogeneity, the synthesis of very heavy elements by neutron capture, was analyzed for varying baryon to photon ratios n and length scales L. A detailed discussion is published in (Rauscher et al. 1994b). Preliminary results can be found in (Thielemann et al. 1991; Rauscher et al. 1994a).