Magicity quenching in neutron-rich nuclei and its consequences on electron-capture rates during core collapse

Adriana Raduta (1) , Francesca Gulminelli (2) , Micaela Oertel (3)

1 Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering
2 LPCC - Laboratoire de physique corpusculaire de Caen
3 LUTH (UMR_8102) - Laboratoire Univers et Théories

We study the impact of masses of very neutron-rich nuclei on matter composition and average electron capture rates during the late stages of pre-bounce evolution of core-collapsing massive stars. Inspired by experimental data which show magicity quenching in nuclei far from stability, we test the consequences of a possible quenching of shell closure in nuclei with N=50 and 82. By using parametrized equations for electron-capture rates and empirical modifications of the DufloZucker mass formula, we show that magicity quenching in neutron-rich nuclei may increase the electron-capture rates by up to 30%. Our results show the importance of new experimental data on nuclear masses and electron capture rates for neutron-rich nuclei in the vicinity of N = 50 and N = 82.

Domaines: Physique Nucléaire Théorique [nucl-th]; Astrophysique [astro-ph]

Adriana Raduta, Francesca Gulminelli, Micaela Oertel. Magicity quenching in neutron-rich nuclei and its consequences on electron-capture rates during core collapse. The Modern Physics of Compact Stars and Relativistic Gravity, Sep 2015, Yerevan, Armenia. pp.005, ⟨10.22323/1.262.0005⟩. ⟨hal-01645459⟩