Following Fission Products in Explosive Astrophysical Environments

¹ Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
² Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
³ Center for Theoretical Astrophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA

Published online: 28 September 2020

Abstract

The astrophysical process by which the heaviest elements are formed in the universe is known as the rapid neutron capture process, or r process, of nucleosynthesis. The r process is characterized by the neutron capture and β⁻ decay of short-lived, neutron-rich atomic nuclei; in suitably extreme environments, nuclear fission can also play a major role in determining the ensuing nucleosynthesis. In this work, we present the application of our recently developed nucleosynthesis tracing framework to precisely quantify the impact that neutron-induced and β⁻ -delayed fission processes have in r-process environments that produce fissioning nuclei.