arXiv subjects

Friedrich-Karl Thielemann

Publications and source records attributed to Friedrich-Karl Thielemann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Nucleosynthesis in the fast ejecta of a neutron star merger

Neutron star mergers are today considered a major production site for rapid neutron capture elements. While the bulk of the matter escapes at fast, but non-relativistic velocities (${\sim} 0.2\,c$), a small amount of the dynamically ejected mass reaches mildly relativistic velocities (${\gtrsim}0.6\,c$). It has been suggested earlier, that in such ejecta parts neutrons may avoid being captured and that their decay could power an early blue precursor to the main kilonova event. Here we study in detail the nucleosynthesis in such fast ejecta with nuclear network calculations along both parametrized and numerical relativity trajectories. We find that the nucleosynthesis can be divided into three channels, in one of which a substantial amount of free neutrons survives when the main r-process has frozen out. We provide a (semi-)analytical model for surviving free neutrons which agrees very well with the network calculations. If the mass fraction of the free neutrons exceeds ${\sim} 0.05$, their $β^-$-decay dominates the nuclear heating rate between ${\sim} 100$ and ${\sim} 10^4$ seconds. This dominance leads to a pronounced kilonova precursor that should for plausible ejecta parameters be visible for ULTRASAT out to ${\sim}200\,\rm Mpc$. Since at low electron fractions free neutrons can survive even for moderate velocities, mergers with large tidal ejecta, such as asymmetric neutron star mergers or favorable neutron star black hole mergers, may produce particularly bright blue precursors to their subsequent kilonovae.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

The r-Process: History, Required Conditions, Astrophysical Sites, and Observations

This review of the rapid-neutron-capture (i.e. r-) process starts with determining the Solar System r-abundance pattern via first obtaining (and subtracting) the contribution from the slow-neutron capture (s-) process. We emphasize the extensive work in this area by our late colleague Roberto Gallino and continue in an overview, concentrating on attempts to reproduce the solar r-process pattern with historical site-independent approaches, based on nuclear physics far from stability. In a second step we address the existing proposals for astrophysical sites. Among stellar observations we start with available observations of individual events before analyzing low-metallicity stars, which witness r-process contributions in the early Galaxy. We conclude with a comparison of observations and model predictions, focusing on our present ability to identify the responsible individual astrophysical sites by their imprint in Galactic evolution.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Deciphering the Origins of the Elements Through Galactic Archeology

Low-metallicity stars preserve the signatures of the first stellar nucleosynthesis events in the Galaxy, as their surface abundances reflect the composition of the interstellar medium from which they were born. Aside from primordial Big Bang nucleosynthesis, massive stars, due to their short lifetimes, dominate the ejecta into the interstellar medium of the early Galaxy. Most of them will end as core-collapse supernova (CCSN) explosions, and typical ejected abundance distributions, e.g. in terms of the alpha-element-to-Fe ratios, reflect these contributions. Essentially all CCSNe contribute 56Fe. Therefore, low-metallicity stars can be used to test whether the abundances of any other elements are correlated with those of Fe, i.e. whether these elements have been co-produced in the progenitor sources or if they require either a different or additional astrophysical origin(s). The present analysis focuses on stars with [Fe/H]<-2, as they probe the earliest formation phase of the Galaxy when only one or very few nucleosynthesis events had contributed their ejecta to the gas from which the lowest metallicity stars form. This was also the era before low and intermediate mass stars (or type Ia supernovae) could contribute any additional heavy elements. Following earlier works into the origin of heavy r-process elements [1], we extend the present study to examine Pearson and Spearman correlations of Fe with Li, Be, C, N, Na, Mg, Si, S, Ca, Ti, Cr, Ni, Zn, Ge, Se, Sr, Zr, Ba, Ce, Sm, Eu, Yb, Lu, Hf, Os, Ir, Pb, Th, and U, using high-resolution stellar abundance data from the SAGA [2] and JINA [3] databases. The main goal is to identify which of the observed elements (i) may have been co-produced with Fe in (possibly a variety of) CCSNe, and which elements require (ii) either a completely different, or (iii) at least an additional astrophysical origin.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Do not forget the electrons: Extending moderately-sized nuclear networks for multidimensional hydrodynamic codes

We present here an extended nuclear network, with 90 species, designed for being coupled with hydrodynamic simulations, which includes neutrons, protons, electrons, positrons, and the corresponding neutrino and anti-neutrino emission. This network is also coupled with temperature, making it extremely robust and, together with its size, unique of its kind. The inclusion of electron captures on free protons makes the network very appropriate for multidimensional studies of Type Ia supernova explosions, especially when the exploding object is a massive white dwarf. The results obtained with the proposed medium-sized network compare fairly well, to a few percent, with those computed with the extended network WinNet (> 2000 isotopes) in scenarios reproducing the gross physical conditions of current Type Ia supernova explosion models. In those cases where the carbon and oxygen fuel ignites at high density, the high-temperature plateau typical of the nuclear statistical equilibrium regime is well defined and stable, allowing large integration time steps. We show that the inclusion of electron captures on free protons substantially improves the estimation of the electron fraction of the mixture. Therefore, the pressure is better determined than in networks where electron captures are excluded, which will ultimately lead to more reliable hydrodynamic models. Explosive combustion of helium at low density, occurring near the surface layer of a white dwarf, is also better described with the proposed network, which gives nuclear energy generation rates much closer to WinNet than typical reduced alpha networks.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

Daniel Bernoulli's Research in Basel and the "Physikalisches Kabinett" in the "Stachelschützenhaus"

On 22 September 2023 the inauguration of the "Stachelschützenhaus" at Basel's Petersplatz (St. Peter's Square) as an EPS Historic Site was hosted by the University of Basel. In the following article we will focus first on Daniel Bernoulli's career path, before discussing his major scientific achievements and finally adding some aspects of the inauguration ceremony (the colloquium talks, the visit of today's laboratories in the Stachelschützenhaus, and the unveiling of the plaque).

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2023

Nuclear Reactions in Evolving Stars

This chapter will go through the important nuclear reactions in stellar evolution and explosions, passing through the individual stellar burning stages and also explosive burning conditions. To follow the changes in the composition of nuclear abundances requires the knowledge of the relevant nuclear reaction rates. For light nuclei (entering in early stellar burning stages) the resonance density is generally quite low and the reactions are determined by individual resonances, which are best obtained from experiments. For intermediate mass and heavy nuclei the level density is typically sufficient to apply statistical model approaches. For this reason, while we discuss all burning stages and explosive burning, focusing on the reactions of importance, we will for light nuclei refer to the chapters by M. Wiescher, deBoer & Reifarth (Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics) and P. Descouvement (Theoretical Studies of Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions), which display many examples, experimental methods utilized, and theoretical approaches how to predict nuclear reaction rates for light nuclei. For nuclei with sufficiently high level densities we discuss statistical model methods used in present predictions of nuclear reaction cross sections and thermonuclear rates across the nuclear chart, including also the application to nuclei far from stability and fission modes.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Magnetorotational supernovae: A nucleosynthetic analysis of sophisticated 3D models

Magnetorotational supernovae are a rare type of core-collapse supernovae where the magnetic field and rotation play a central role in the dynamics of the explosion. We present the post-processed nucleosynthesis of state-of-the-art neutrino-MHD supernova models that follow the post explosion evolution for few seconds. We find three different dynamical mechanisms to produce heavy r-process elements: i) a prompt ejection of matter right after core bounce, ii) neutron-rich matter that is ejected at late times due to a reconfiguration of the protoneutronstar shape, iii) small amount of mass ejected with high entropies in the center of the jet. We investigate total ejecta yields, including the ones of unstable nuclei such as $^{26}$Al, $^{44}$Ti, $^{56}$Ni, and $^{60}$Fe. The obtained $^{56}$Ni masses vary between $0.01 - 1\,\mathrm{M_\odot}$. The latter maximum is compatible with hypernova observations. Furthermore, all of our models synthesize Zn masses in agreement with observations of old metal-poor stars. We calculate simplified light curves to investigate whether our models can be candidates for superluminous supernovae. The peak luminosities obtained from taking into account only nuclear heating reach up to a few $\sim 10^{43} \,\mathrm{erg\,s^{-1}}$. Under certain conditions, we find a significant impact of the $^{66}$Ni decay chain that can raise the peak luminosity up to $\sim 38\%$ compared to models including only the $^{56}$Ni decay chain. This work reinforces the theoretical evidence on the critical role of magnetorotational supernovae to understand the occurrence of hypernovae, superluminous supernovae, and the synthesis of heavy elements.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

$r$-process nucleosynthesis from compact binary mergers

The merger of two neutron stars or of a neutron star and a black hole often result in the ejection of a few percents of a solar mass of matter expanding at high speed in space. Being matter coming from the violent disruption of a neutron star, these ejecta are initially very dense, hot and extremely rich in neutrons. The few available protons form heavy nuclei ("seeds") that absorb the more abundant free neutrons, increasing their size. The neutron density is so high that a substantial number of neutron captures occur before the resulting unstable nuclei can decay toward more stable configurations, converting neutrons into protons. Depending mostly on the initial neutron richness, this mechanism leads to the formation of up to half of the heavy elements that we observe in nature and it is called rapid neutron capture process ("$r$-process"). The prediction of the precise composition of the ejecta requires a detailed knowledge of the properties of very exotic nuclei, that have never been produced in a laboratory. Despite having long been a speculative scenario, nowadays several observational evidences point to compact binary mergers as one of the major sites where heavy elements are formed in the Universe. The most striking one was the detection of a kilonova following the merger of a neutron star binary: the light emitted by this astronomical transient is indeed powered by the radioactive decay of freshly synthesized neutron-rich nuclei and testifies the actual nature of compact binary mergers as cosmic forges.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Correlations of r-Process Elements in Very Metal-Poor Stars as Clues to their Nucleosynthesis Sites

Various nucleosynthesis studies have pointed out that the r-process elements in very metal-poor (VMP) halo stars might have different origins. By means of familiar concepts from statistics (correlations, cluster analysis, rank tests of elemental abundances), we look for causally correlated elemental abundance patterns and attempt to link them to astrophysical events. Some of these events produce the r-process elements jointly with iron, while others do not have any significant iron contribution. In the early stage of our Galaxy, at least three r-process nucleosynthesis sites have been active. The first two produce and eject iron and the majority of the lighter r-process elements. We assign them to two different types of core-collapse events, not identical to regular core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), which produce only light trans-Fe elements. The third category is characterized by a strong r-process and responsible for the major fraction of the heavy main r-process elements without a significant co-production of Fe. It does not appear to be connected to CCSNe, in fact the Fe found in the related r-process enriched stars must come from previously occurring CCSNe. The existence of actinide boost stars indicates a further division among strong r-process sites. We assign these two strong r-process sites to neutron star mergers without fast black hole formation and to events where the ejecta are dominated by black hole accretion disk outflows. Indications from the lowest-metallicity stars hint at a connection to massive single stars (collapsars) forming black holes in the early Galaxy.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Stellar Mass Black Hole Formation and Multi-messenger Signals from Three Dimensional Rotating Core-Collapse Supernova Simulations

We present self-consistent, 3D core-collapse supernova simulations of a 40 Msun progenitor model using the isotropic diffusion source approximation for neutrino transport and an effective general relativistic potential up to $\sim0.9$~s~postbounce. We consider three different rotational speeds with initial angular velocities of $Ω_0=0$,~0.5, and~1~rad~s$^{-1}$ and investigate the impact of rotation on shock dynamics, black hole formation, and gravitational wave signals. The rapidly-rotating model undergoes an early explosion at $\sim 250$~ms postbounce and shows signs of the low $T/|W|$ instability. We do not find black hole formation in this model within $\sim 460$~ms postbounce. In contrast, we find black hole formation at 776~ms~postbounce and 936~ms~postbounce for the non-rotating and slowly-rotating models, respectively. The slowly-rotating model explodes at $\sim 650$~ms postbounce, and the subsequent fallback accretion onto the proto-neutron star (PNS) results in BH formation. In addition, the standing~accretion~shock~instability induces rotation of the proto-neutron star in the model that started with a non-rotating progenitor. Assuming conservation of specific angular momentum during black hole formation, this corresponds to a black~hole spin parameter of $a=J/M=0.046$. However, if no explosion sets in, all the angular momentum will eventually be accreted by the BH, resulting in a non-spinning BH. The successful explosion of the slowly-rotating model drastically slows down the accretion onto the PNS, allowing continued cooling and contraction that results in an extremely high gravitational-wave frequency ($f\sim3000$~Hz) at black~hole formation, while the non-rotating model generates gravitational wave signals similar to our corresponding 2D simulations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Origin of the Heaviest Elements: the Rapid Neutron-Capture Process

The production of about half of the heavy elements found in nature is assigned to a specific astrophysical nucleosynthesis process: the rapid neutron capture process (r-process). Although this idea has been postulated more than six decades ago, the full understanding faces two types of uncertainties/open questions: (a) The nucleosynthesis path in the nuclear chart runs close to the neutron-drip line, where presently only limited experimental information is available, and one has to rely strongly on theoretical predictions for nuclear properties. (b) While for many years the occurrence of the r-process has been associated with supernovae, more recent studies have cast substantial doubts on this environment. Alternative scenarios include the mergers of neutron stars, neutron-star black hole mergers, but possibly also rare classes of supernovae as well as hypernovae/collapsars with polar jet ejecta and also accretion disk outflows related to the collapse of fast rotating massive stars with high magnetic fields. Stellar r-process abundance observations, have provided insights into, and constraints on the frequency of and conditions in the responsible stellar production sites. One of them, neutron star mergers, was just identified and related to the Gravitational Wave event GW170817. High resolution observations, increasingly more precise due to improved experimental atomic data, have been particularly important in defining the heavy element abundance patterns of the old halo stars, and thus determining the extent, and nature, of the earliest nucleosynthesis in our Galaxy. Combining new results and important breakthroughs in the related nuclear, atomic and astronomical fields of science, this review attempts to provide an answer to the question "How Were the Elements from Iron to Uranium Made?" (Abridged)

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Heavy Elements Nucleosynthesis On Accreting White Dwarfs: building seeds for the p-process

The origin of the proton-rich trans-iron isotopes in the solar system is still uncertain. Single-degenerate thermonuclear supernovae (SNIa) with n-capture nucleosynthesis seeds assembled in the external layers of the progenitor's rapidly accreting white dwarf phase may produce these isotopes. We calculate the stellar structure of the accretion phase of five white dwarf models with initial masses >~ 0.85Msun using the stellar code MESA. The near-surface layers of the 1, 1.26, 1.32 and 1.38Msun models are most representative of the regions in which the bulk of the p nuclei are produced during SNIa explosions, and for these models we also calculate the neutron-capture nucleosynthesis in the external layers. Contrary to previous rapidly-accreting white dwarf models at lower mass, we find that the H-shell ashes are the main site of n-capture nucleosynthesis. We find high neutron densities up to several 10^15 cm^-3 in the most massive WDs. Through the recurrence of the H-shell ashes these intermediate neutron densities can be sustained effectively for a long time leading to high neutron exposures with a strong production up to Pb. Both the neutron density and the neutron exposure increase with increasing the mass of the accreting WD. Finally, the SNIa nucleosynthesis is calculated using the obtained abundances as seeds. We obtain solar to super-solar abundances for p-nuclei with A>96. Our models show that SNIa are a viable p-process production site.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Core-collapse Supernova Explosions Driven by the Hadron-quark Phase Transition as a Rare $r$-process Site

Supernova explosions of massive stars are one of the primary sites for the production of the elements in the universe. Up to now, stars with zero-age main-sequence masses in the range of 35--50~$M_\odot$ had mostly been representing the failed supernova explosion branch. In contrast, it has been demonstrated recently that the appearance of exotic phases of hot and dense matter, associated with a sufficiently strong phase transition from nuclear matter to the quark-gluon plasma at high baryon density, can trigger supernova explosions of such massive supergiant. Here, we present the first results obtained from an extensive nucleosynthesis analysis for material being ejected from the surface of the newly born proto-neutron star of such supernova explosions. These ejecta contain an early neutron-rich component and a late-time high-entropy neutrino-driven wind. The nucleosynthesis robustly overcomes the production of nuclei associated with the second $r$-process peak, at nuclear mass number $A\simeq 130$, and proceeds beyond the formation of the third peak ($A\simeq 195$) to the actinides. These yields may account for metal-poor star observations concerning $r$-process elements such as strontium and europium in the Galaxy at low metalicity, while the actinide yields suggests that this source may be a candidate contributing to the abundances of radioactive $^{244}$Pu measured in deep-sea sediments on Earth.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

PUSHing Core-Collapse Supernovae to Explosions in Spherical Symmetry II: Explodability and Global Properties

In a previously presented proof-of-principle study we established a parametrized spherically symmetric explosion method (PUSH) that can reproduce many features of core-collapse supernovae. The present paper goes beyond a specific application that is able to reproduce observational properties of SN1987A and performs a systematic study of the explosion properties for an extensive set of non-rotating, solar metallicity stellar progenitor models in the mass range from 10.8 to 120 M$_\odot$.This includes the transition from neutron stars to black holes as the final result of the collapse of massive stars, and the relation of the latter to supernovae and faint/failed supernovae. The present paper provides the basis for extended nucleosynthesis predictions in a forthcoming paper to be employed in galactic evolution models.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

PUSHing core-collapse supernovae to explosions in spherical symmetry IV: Explodability, remnant properties and nucleosynthesis yields of low metallicity stars

In this fourth paper of the series, we use the parametrized, spherically symmetric explosion method PUSH to perform a systematic study of two sets of non-rotating stellar progenitor models. Our study includes pre-explosion models with metallicities Z=0 and Z=Z$_{\odot}\times 10^{-4}$ and covers a progenitor mass range from 11 up to 75 M$_\odot$. We present and discuss the explosion properties of all models and predict remnant (neutron star or black hole) mass distributions within this approach. We also perform systematic nucleosynthesis studies and predict detailed isotopic yields as function of the progenitor mass and metallicity. We present a comparison of our nucleosynthesis results with observationally derived $^{56}$Ni ejecta from normal core-collapse supernovae and with iron-group abundances for metal-poor star HD~84937. Overall, our results for explosion energies, remnant mass distribution, $^{56}$Ni mass, and iron group yields are consistent with observations of normal CCSNe. We find that stellar progenitors at low and zero metallicity are more prone to BH formation than those at solar metallicity, which allows for the formation of BHs in the mass range observed by LIGO/VIRGO.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2019

Enrichment of the Galactic disc with neutron-capture elements: Mo and Ru

We present new observational data for the heavy elements molybdenum (Mo, Z = 42) and ruthenium (Ru, Z = 44) in F-, G-, and K-stars belonging to different substructures of the Milky Way. The range of metallicity covered is --1.0 $<$ [Fe/H] $<$ +0.3. The spectra of Galactic disc stars have a high resolution of 42,000 and 75,000 and signal-to-noise ratio better than 100. Mo and Ru abundances were derived by comparing the observed and synthetic spectra in the region of Mo I lines at 5506, 5533 Å~ for 209 stars and Ru I lines at 4080, 4584, 4757 Å~ for 162 stars using the LTE approach. For all the stars, the Mo and Ru abundance determinations are obtained for the first time with an average error of 0.14 dex. This is the first extended sample of stellar observations for Mo and Ru in the Milky Way disc, and together with earlier observations in halo stars it is pivotal in providing a complete picture of the evolution of Mo and Ru across cosmic timescales. The Mo and Ru abundances were compared with those of the neutron-capture elements (Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, Sm, Eu). The complex nucleosynthesis history of Mo and Ru is compared with different Galactic Chemical Evolution (GCE) simulations. In general, present theoretical GCE simulations show underproduction of Mo and Ru at all metallicities compared to observations. This highlights a significant contribution of nucleosynthesis processes not yet considered in our simulations. A number of possible scenarios are discussed.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Near-Earth Supernova Explosions: Evidence, Implications, and Opportunities

There is now solid experimental evidence of at least one supernova explosion within 100 pc of Earth within the last few million years, from measurements of the short-lived isotope 60Fe in widespread deep-ocean samples, as well as in the lunar regolith and cosmic rays. This is the first established example of a specific dated astrophysical event outside the Solar System having a measurable impact on the Earth, offering new probes of stellar evolution, nuclear astrophysics, the astrophysics of the solar neighborhood, cosmic-ray sources and acceleration, multi-messenger astronomy, and astrobiology. Interdisciplinary connections reach broadly to include heliophysics, geology, and evolutionary biology. Objectives for the future include pinning down the nature and location of the established near-Earth supernova explosions, seeking evidence for others, and searching for other short-lived isotopes such as 26Al and 244Pu. The unique information provided by geological and lunar detections of radioactive 60Fe to assess nearby supernova explosions make now a compelling time for the astronomy community to advocate for supporting multi-disciplinary, cross-cutting research programs.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Core-collapse supernovae in the hall of mirrors. A three-dimensional code-comparison project

Modeling core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) with neutrino transport in three dimensions (3D) requires tremendous computing resources and some level of approximation. We present a first comparison study of CCSNe in 3D with different physics approximations and hydrodynamics codes. We aim to assess the impact of the hydrodynamics code, approximations for the neutrino and gravity treatments, and rotation on the simulation of CCSNe in 3D. We use four different hydrodynamics codes in this work (ELEPHANT, FLASH, fGR1, and SPHYNX) in combination with two different neutrino treatments, the isotropic diffusion source approximation (IDSA) and two-moment M1, and three different gravity treatments: Newtonian, 1D General Relativity (GR) correction, and full GR). Additional parameters discussed in this study are the inclusion of neutrino-electron scattering via a parametrized deleptonization (PD) and the influence of rotation. The four codes compared in this work include Eulerian and fully Lagrangian (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) codes for the first time. They show agreement in the overall evolution of the collapse phase and early post-bounce within the range of 10% (20% in some cases). The comparison of the different neutrino treatments highlights the need to further investigate the antineutrino luminosities in IDSA, which tend to be relatively high. We also demonstrate the requirement for a more detailed heavy-lepton neutrino leakage. When comparing with a full GR code, including an M1 transport method, we confirm the influence of neutrino-electron scattering during the collapse phase, which is adequately captured by the PD scheme. Also, the effective GR potential reproduces the overall dynamic evolution correctly in all Newtonian codes. Additionally, we verify that rotation aids the shock expansion and estimate the overall angular momentum losses for each code in rotating scenarios.

astro-ph.HE↗