Sensitivity of p-Process Nucleosynthesis to Nuclear Reaction Rates in a 25 Solar Mass Supernova Model

Abstract

The astrophysical p process, which is responsible for the origin of the proton rich stable nuclei heavier than iron, was investigated using a full nuclear reaction network for a type II supernova explosion when the shock front passes through the O/Ne layer. Calculations were performed with a multi-layer model adopting the seed of a pre-explosion evolution of a 25 solar mass star. The reaction flux was calculated to determine the main reaction path and branching points responsible for synthesizing the proton rich nuclei. In order to investigate the impact of nuclear reaction rates on the predicted p-process abundances, extensive simulations with different sets of collectively and individually modified neutron-, proton-, alpha-capture and photodisintegration rates have been performed. These results are not only relevant to explore the nuclear physics related uncertainties in p-process calculations but are also important for identifying the strategy and planning of future experiments.