Speaker
Description
The rapid neutron-capture process, or r-process, is responsible for the production of approximately half of the heavy elements beyond iron in the Universe. This process requires environments with high neutron fluxes, such as core-collapse supernovae, neutron-star mergers, and collapsars, where nuclei can rapidly capture neutrons before undergoing radioactive decay. While the main mechanisms responsible for r-process nucleosynthesis are well understood, a quantitative description of abundance patterns and their associated electromagnetic counterparts requires accurate nuclear input.
In this talk, I will discuss some recent progress in the estimation of nuclear properties relevant to the r-process, with a focus on the impact of nuclear masses and fission properties.