Speaker
Karl-Ludwig Kratz
(Institut für Kernchemie, Universität Mainz)
Description
Nucleosynthesis theory predicts that about half of the chemical
elements above iron are formed in explosive stellar scenarios
by the r-process, i.e. a combination of rapid neutron captures,
inverse photodisintegrations, and slower beta-decays, beta-delayed
processes, as well as fission and possibly interactions with
neutrinos. A correct modelling of this process, therefore,
requires the knowledge of nuclear properties very far from
stability and a detailed description of the astrophysical
environments. With respect to nuclear data, after an initial
period of measuring ''waiting-point'' nuclei with
magic neutron numbers, recent investigations have paid special
attention to shape transitions and the erosion of classical shell
gaps with possible occurrence of new magic numbers. The status
of experimental and theoretical nuclear data on masses and
beta-decay properties will be briefly reviewed, and consequences
on the overall r-process matter flow up to the cosmochronometers
Th-232 and U-238 will be discussed.
Author
Karl-Ludwig Kratz
(Institut für Kernchemie, Universität Mainz)
