The Impact of Fission on R-Process Calculations

We have performed r-process calculations in neutron star mergers (NSM) and jets of magnetohydrodynamically driven (MHD) supernovae. In these very neutron-rich environments the fission model of heavy nuclei has an impact on the shape of the final abundance distribution and the second r-process peak in particular.

We have studied the effect of different fission fragment mass distribution models in calculations of low-Yₑ ejecta, ranging from a simple parametrization to extensive statistical treatments (ABLA07).

The r-process path ends when it reaches an area in the nuclear chart where fission dominates over further neutron captures. The position of this point is determined by the fission barriers and the neutron separation energies of the nuclei involved. As these values both depend on the choice of the nuclear mass model, so does the r-process path. Here we present calculations using the FRDM (Finite Range Droplet Model) and the ETFSI (Extended Thomas Fermi with Strutinsky Integral) mass model with the related TF and ETFSI fission barrier predictions. Utilizing sophisticated fission fragment distribution leads to a highly improved abundance distribution.