arXiv subjects

Motohiko Kusakabe

Publications and source records attributed to Motohiko Kusakabe.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Photo-nuclear reaction rates of $^{157,159}$Ho and $^{163,165}$Tm and their impact in the $γ$--process

Reliable photo-nuclear reaction rates at the stellar conditions are essential to understand the origin of the heavy stable neutron-deficient isotopes between $^{74}$Se and $^{196}$Hg-p-nuclei, however, many reaction rates of relevance still have to rely on the Hauser-Feshbach model due to rare experimental progress. One such case is in the mass range of 160 for Dy, Er, Ho and Tm isotopes. In this work we attempt to constrain the Hauser-Feshbach model in the TALYS package by reproducing the available experimental data of $^{160}$Dy($p,γ$)$^{161}$Ho and $^{162}$Er($p,γ$)$^{163}$Tm in the $A\sim 160$ mass region, and examine the effects of level density, gamma strength function and the optical model potential. The constrained model then allows us to calculate the reaction rates of $^{157, 159}$Ho($γ$, $p$) and $^{163,165}$Tm($γ$, $p$) for the $γ$-process nucleosynthesis in carbon-deflagration SNe Ia model. Our recommended rates differ from the JINA REACLIB by more than 1 order of magnitude in the temperature range of 2-3 GK. This results in the changes of final abundance of $p$-nuclei in the $A\sim 160$ mass range by -5.5-3\% from those with JINA, which means that the ($γ$, $p$) reactions uncertainty is not predominant for the synthesis of these nuclei.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

GalCEM I -- An Open-Source Detailed Isotopic Chemical Evolution Code

This is the first of a series of papers that will introduce a user-friendly, detailed, and modular GALactic Chemical Evolution Model, GalCEM, that tracks isotope masses as a function of time in a given galaxy. The list of tracked isotopes automatically adapts to the complete set provided by the input yields. The present iteration of GalCEM tracks 86 elements broken down in 451 isotopes. The prescription includes massive stars, low-to-intermediate mass stars, and Type Ia supernovae as enrichment channels. We have developed a preprocessing tool that extracts multi-dimensional interpolation curves from the input yield tables. These interpolation curves improve the computation speeds of the full convolution integrals, which are computed for each isotope and for each enrichment channel. We map the integrand quantities onto consistent array grids in order to perform the numerical integration at each time step. The differential equation is solved with a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. We constrain our analysis to the evolution of all the light and intermediate elements from carbon to zinc, and lithium. Our results are consistent up to the extremely metal poor regime with Galactic abundances. We provide tools to track the mass rate change of individual isotopes on a typical spiral galaxy with a final baryonic mass of $5\times 10^{10} M_{\odot}$. Future iterations of the work will extend to the full periodic table by including the enrichment from neutron-capture channels as well as spatially-dependent treatments of galaxy properties. GalCEM is publicly available at https://github.com/egjergo/GalCEM/

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Effects of electromagnetic fluctuations in plasmas on solar neutrino fluxes

We explore the effects of electromagnetic (EM) fluctuations in plasmas on solar neutrino fluxes exploiting the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. We find that the EM spectrum in the solar core is enhanced by the EM fluctuations due to the high density of the Sun, which increases the radiation energy density and pressure. By the EM fluctuations involving the modified radiation formula, the central temperature decreases when the central pressure of the Sun is fixed. With a help of the empirical relation between central temperature and neutrino fluxes deduced from the numerical solar models, we present the change in each of the solar neutrino fluxes by the EM fluctuations. We also discuss the enhanced radiation pressure and energy density by the EM fluctuations for other astronomical objects.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2022

Evolution of Urca Pairs in the Crusts of Highly Magnetized Neutron Stars

We report on the effects of strong magnetic fields on neutrino emission in the modified Urca process. We show that the effect of Landau levels on the various Urca pairs affects the neutrino emission spectrum and leads to an angular asymmetry in the neutrino emission. For low magnetic fields the Landau levels have almost no effect on the cooling. However, as the field strength increases, the electron chemical potential increases resulting in a lower density at which Urca pairs can exist. For intermediate field strength there is an interesting interference between the Landau level distribution and the Fermi distribution. For high enough field strength, the entire electron energy spectrum is eventually confined to single Landau level producing dramatic spikes in the emission spectrum.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Comprehensive Analyses of the Neutrino-Process in the Core-collapsing Supernova

We investigate the neutrino flavor change effects due to neutrino self-interaction, shock wave propagation as well as matter effect on the neutrino-process of the core-collapsing supernova (CCSN). For the hydrodynamics, we use two models: a simple thermal bomb model and a specified hydrodynamic model for SN1987A. As a pre-supernova model, we take an updated model adjusted to explain the SN1987A employing recent development of the $(n,γ)$ reaction rates for nuclei near the stability line $(A \sim 100)$. As for the neutrino luminosity, we adopt two different models: equivalent neutrino luminosity and non-equivalent luminosity models. The latter is taken from the synthetic analyses of the CCSN simulation data which involved quantitatively the results obtained by various neutrino transport models. Relevant neutrino-induced reaction rates are calculated by a shell model for light nuclei and a quasi-particle random phase approximation model for heavy nuclei. For each model, we present abundances of the light nuclei ($^7$Li, $^7$Be, $^{11}$B and $^{11}$C) and heavy nuclei ($^{92}$Nb, $^{98}$Tc, $^{138}$La and $^{180}$Ta) produced by the neutrino-process. The light nuclei abundances turn out to be sensitive to the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) region around O-Ne-Mg region while the heavy nuclei are mainly produced prior to the MSW region. Through the detailed analyses, we find that neutrino self-interaction becomes a key ingredient in addition to the MSW effect for understanding the neutrino-process and the relevant nuclear abundances. The normal mass hierarchy is shown to be more compatible with the meteorite data. Main nuclear reactions for each nucleus are also investigated in detail.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2022

Effect of Magnetic Field Dissipation on Primordial Li Abundance

The dissipation effects of primordial magnetic fields on the primordial elemental abundances were investigated. When a magnetic field reconnects, its energy is converted to the kinetic energy of charged particles, as observed for solar energetic particles arriving on earth. This accelerates the cosmic background nuclei, and energetic nuclei induce nonthermal reactions. A constraint on the dissipation is derived from a theoretical calculation of the nonthermal reactions during Big Bang nucleosynthesis. We found that observations of the Li and D abundances can be explained if 0.01--0.1 % of the cosmic energy density was utilized for nuclear acceleration after the electron--positron annihilation epoch. Reconnections of such amplitudes of magnetic fields generate outgoing jets, the bulk velocity of which evolves to values appropriate for cosmic ray (CR) nuclear energies of 0.1--1 MeV necessary for successful CR nucleosynthesis. Therefore, acceleration of cosmic background nuclei during the dissipation of primordial magnetic fields is a possible generation mechanism of soft CRs that has been suggested as a solution to the cosmic Li problem. Among the solutions suggested without exotic physics, only the dissipating magnetic field model suggested here explains observations of both low Li and high D abundances. Our results demonstrate that signatures of strong magnetic fields in the early universe have been observed in primordial elemental abundances.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Distribution function of nuclei from $e^\pm$ scattering in the presence of a strong primordial magnetic field

The amplitude of the primordial magnetic field (PMF) is constrained from observational limits on primordial nuclear abundances. Within this constraint, it is possible that nuclear motion is regulated by Coulomb scattering with electrons and positrons ($e^\pm$'s), while $e^\pm$'s are affected by a PMF rather than collisions. For example, at a temperature of $10^9$ K, thermal nuclei typically experience $\sim 10^{21}$ scatterings per second that are dominated by very small angle scattering leading to minuscule changes in the nuclear kinetic energy of order $\mathcal{O}$(1) eV. In this paper the upper limit on the effects of a possible discretization of the $e^\pm$ momenta by the PMF on the nuclear momentum distribution is estimated under the extreme assumptions that the momentum of the $e^\pm$ is relaxed before and after Coulomb scattering to Landau levels, and that during Coulomb scattering the PMF is neglected. This assumption explicitly breaks the time reversal invariance of Coulomb scattering, and the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is not a trivial steady state solution of the Boltzmann equation under these assumptions. We numerically evaluate the collision terms in the Boltzmann equation, and show that the introduction of a special direction in the $e^\pm$ distribution by the PMF generates no directional dependence of the collisional destruction term of nuclei. Large anisotropies in the nuclear distribution function are then constrained from big bang nucleosynthesis. Ultimately, we conclude that a PMF does not significantly affect the isotropy or BBN.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Relativistic Coulomb Screening in Pulsational Pair Instability Supernovae

Context. Pulsational pair-instabilitye supernovae (PPISNe) and pair instability supernovae (PISNe) are the result of a thermonuclear runaway in the presence of a background electron-positron pair plasma. As such, their evolution and resultant black hole (BH) masses could possibly be affected by screening corrections due to the electron pair plasma. Aims. Sensitivity of PISNe and PPISNe to relativistic weak screening has been explored. Methods. In this paper a weak screening model that includes effects from relativistic pair production has been developed and applied at temperatures approaching and exceeding the thresh old for pair production. This screening model replaces "classical" screening commonly used in astrophysics. Modifications to the weak screening electron Debye length are incorporated in a computationally tractable analytic form with. Results. In PPISNe the BH masses were found to increase somewhat at high temperatures, though this increase is small. The BH collapse is also found to occur at earlier times, and the pulsational morphology also changes. In addition to the resultant BH mass, the sensitivity to the screening model of the pulsational period, the pulse structure, the PPISN-to-PISN transition, and the shift in the BH mass gap has been analyzed. The dependence of the composition of the ejected mass was also examined.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Dynamical Screening Effects on Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

A moving ion in plasma creates a deformed electric potential depending on the ion velocity, which leads to the distinct screening effect compared to the standard static Salpeter formula. In this paper, adopting the test charge method, we explore the dynamical screening effects on big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). We find that the high temperature in the early universe causes the ion velocity to be faster than the solar condition so that the electric potential is effectively polarized. However, the low density of background plasma components significantly suppresses the dynamical screening effects on thermonuclear reaction rates during the BBN epoch. We compare our results with several thermonuclear reaction rates for solar fusion considering the dynamical screening effects. Also, we discuss the additional plasma properties in other astrophysical sites for the possible expansion from the present calculation in the future.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2021

Impact of hypernova νp-process nucleosynthesis on the galactic chemical evolution of Mo and Ru

We calculate Galactic Chemical Evolution (GCE) of Mo and Ru by taking into account the contribution from $νp$-process nucleosynthesis. We estimate yields of $p$-nuclei such as $^{92,94}\mathrm{Mo}$ and $^{96,98}\mathrm{Ru}$ through the $νp$-process in various supernova (SN) progenitors based upon recent models. In particular, the $νp$-process in energetic hypernovae produces a large amount of $p$-nuclei compared to the yield in ordinary core-collapse SNe. Because of this the abundances of $^{92,94}\mathrm{Mo}$ and $^{96,98}\mathrm{Ru}$ in the Galaxy are significantly enhanced at [Fe/H]=0 by the $νp$-process. We find that the $νp$-process in hypernovae is the main contributor to the elemental abundance of $^{92}$Mo at low metallicity [Fe/H$]<-2$. Our theoretical prediction of the elemental abundances in metal-poor stars becomes more consistent with observational data when the $νp$-process in hypernovae is taken into account.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Thermonuclear 17O(n,gamma)18O reaction rate and its astrophysical implications

A new thermonuclear $^{17}$O($n$,$γ$)$^{18}$O rate is derived based on a complete calculation of the direct-capture (DC) and resonant-capture contributions, for a temperature region up to 2 GK of astrophysical interest. We have firstly calculated the DC and subthreshold contributions in the energy region up to 1 MeV, and estimated the associated uncertainties by a Monte-Carlo approach. It shows that the present rate is remarkably larger than that adopted in the JINA REACLIB in the temperature region of 0.01 $\sim$ 2 GK, by up to a factor of $\sim$80. The astrophysical impacts of our rate have been examined in both $s$-process and $r$-process models. In our main $s$-process model which simulates flash-driven convective mixing in metal deficient asymptotic giant branch stars, both $^{18}$O and $^{19}$F abundances in interpulse phases are enhanced dramatically by factors of $\sim 20$--$40$ due to the new larger $^{17}$O($n$,$γ$)$^{18}$O rate. It shows, however, that this reaction hardly affects the weak $s$-process in massive stars since the $^{17}$O abundance never becomes significantly large in the massive stars. For the $r$-process nucleosynthesis, we have studied impacts of our rate in both the collapsar and neutron burst models, and found that the effect can be neglected, although an interesting "loophole" effect is found owing to the enhanced new rate, which significantly changes the final nuclear abundances if fission recycling is not involved in the model, however, these significant differences are almost completely washed out if the fission recycling is considered.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2021

Conversions of propagation eigenstates of supernova neutrinos by atomic electrons

Electron number densities in stars and the Earth are inhomogeneous because of atomic electrons. The large inhomogeneities on atomic-scale tend to form at tops of respective layers of stars, and 1s electrons of O locally produce weak potentials higher than that of the high MSW resonance. Then, supernova neutrinos experience vast numbers of non-adiabatic transitions. This inhomogeneous electron potential generates finite amplitudes of all three propagation eigenstates, and wave packets effectively separate. Then, spectral differences between three flavors significantly diminishes after propagation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Measurements of $^{160}$Dy($p,γ$) at energies relevant for astrophysical $γ$ process

Rare information on photodisintegration reactions of nuclei with mass numbers $A \approx 160$ at astrophysical conditions impedes our understanding of the origin of $p$-nuclei. Experimental determination of the key ($p,γ$) cross sections has been playing an important role to verify nuclear reaction models and to provide rates of relevant ($γ,p$) reactions in $γ$-process. In this paper we report the first cross section measurements of $^{160}$Dy($p,γ$)$^{161}$Ho and $^{161}$Dy($p,n$)$^{161}$Ho in the beam energy range of 3.4 - 7.0 MeV, partially covering the Gamow window. Such determinations are possible by using two targets with various isotopic fractions. The cross section data can put a strong constraint on the nuclear level densities and gamma strength functions for $A \approx$ 160 in the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model. Furthermore, we find the best parameters for TALYS that reproduce the A $\thicksim$ 160 data available, $^{160}$Dy($p,γ$)$^{161}$Ho and $^{162}$Er($p,γ$)$^{163}$Tm, and recommend the constrained $^{161}$Ho($γ,p$)$^{160}$Dy reaction rates over a wide temperature range for $γ$-process network calculations. Although the determined $^{161}$Ho($γ$, p) stellar reaction rates at the temperature of 1 to 2 GK can differ by up to one order of magnitude from the NON-SMOKER predictions, it has a minor effect on the yields of $^{160}$Dy and accordingly the $p$-nuclei, $^{156,158}$Dy. A sensitivity study confirms that the cross section of $^{160}$Dy($p$, $γ$)$^{161}$Ho is measured precisely enough to predict yields of $p$-nuclei in the $γ$-process.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

Progress in Nuclear Astrophysics of East and Southeast Asia

Nuclear astrophysics is an interdisciplinary research field of nuclear physics and astrophysics, seeking for the answer to a question, how to understand the evolution of the Universe with the nuclear processes which we learn. We review the research activities of nuclear astrophysics in east and southeast Asia which includes astronomy, experimental and theoretical nuclear physics and astrophysics. Several hot topics such as the Li problems, critical nuclear reactions and properties in stars, properties of dense matter, r-process nucleosynthesis and $ν$-process nucleosynthesis are chosen and discussed in further details. Some future Asian facilities, together with physics perspectives, are introduced.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

Impacts of Hawking Radiation from Primordial Black Holes in Critical Collapse Model on the Light Element Abundances

We study the photodisintegration process triggered by the nonthermal electromagnetic Hawking radiation from primordial black holes (PBHs) in critical collapse model. We consider the simplest case that all PBHs formed at a single epoch stemming from an inflationary spectrum with a narrow peak, and an extended mass distribution is obtained due to critical phenomena of gravitational collapse. The presence of a low-mass tail of critical collapse mass function could lead to an enhancement of energetic photon emissions from Hawking radiation of PBHs. Nuclear photodisintegration rates are calculated with a nonthermal photon spectrum derived by solving the Boltzmann equation iteratively. The exact spectrum is much different than that based on an often-used analytical bended power-law spectrum and it is found to significantly depend on the adopted PBH mass functions. With the newest observational limit on the $^3$He abundance in Galactic H II regions, the updated $^3$He constraints on PBH mass spectrum in the horizon mass range $10^{12} - 10^{13}$ g are derived. Our results for the first time show that $^3$He constraints on the critical mass function are about one order of magnitude severer than the monochromatic one although the fraction of PBHs in the low-mass tail region is relatively small. The $^6$Li elemental abundance is also enhanced significantly for the critical mass function. More precise measurement of $^6$Li abundance is highly desirable to provide a promising constraint on PBHs in the future. For monochromatic mass function, we provide the analytical bounds for photodisintegration and hadrodissociation from PBH radiation, and we report discrepancies between our updated $^3$He constraints and the previous results.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2021

Simulations of multicomponent relativistic thermalization

Multicomponent relativistic fluids have been studied for decades. However, simulating the dynamics of the particles and fluids in such a mixture has been a challenge due to the fact that such simulations are computationally expensive in three spatial dimensions. Here, we report on the development and application of a multi dimensional relativistic Monte Carlo code to explore of the thermalization process in a relativistic multicomponent environment in a computationally inexpensive way. As an illustration we simulate the fully relativistic three dimensional Brownian-motion-like solution to the thermalization of a high mass particle (proton) in a bath of relativistic low-mass particles (electrons). We follow the thermalization and ultimate equilibrium distribution of the Brownian-like particle as can happen in the cosmic plasma during big bang nucleosynthesis. We also simulate the thermalization of energetic particles injected into the plasma as can occur, for example, by the decay of massive unstable particles during the big bang.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2021

Enhancement of Lithium in Red Clump Stars by the Additional Energy Loss Induced by New Physics

Since 7Li is easily destroyed in low temperatures, the surface lithium abundance decreases as stars evolve. This is supported by the lithium depletion observed in the atmosphere of most red giants. However, recent studies show that almost all of red clump stars have high lithium abundances A(Li)>-0.9, which are not predicted by the standard theory of the low-mass stellar evolution. In order to reconcile the discrepancy between the observations and the model, we consider additional energy loss channels which may come from physics beyond the Standard Model. A(Li) slightly increases near the tip of the red giant branch even in the standard model with thermohaline mixing because of the 7Be production by the Cameron-Fowler mechanism, but the resultant 7Li abundance is much lower than the observed values. We find that the production of 7Be becomes more active if there are additional energy loss channels, because themohaline mixing becomes more efficient and a heavier helium core is formed.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Screening Effects on Electron Capture Rates and Type Ia Supernova Nucleosynthesis

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are believed to be a thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf, but the mass of their progenitors is still an open problem. In near-Chandrasekhar-mass (near-M_Ch) models of SNe Ia, the central density reaches >10^9 g cm^{-3}. The electron chemical potential becomes higher than the Q-values of electron capture (EC) transitions between fp-shell nuclei, so a portion of the available electrons is captured by iron group elements and thus neutron-rich isotopes are formed. Since EC reaction rates are sensitive to the density, the degree of neutronization is a key to distinguish near- and sub-M_Ch models. In order to compare observations and theoretical models, an accurate treatment of EC reactions is necessary. In previous theoretical works, however, effects of electron screening on ECs are ignored. Screening lowers EC rates and thus leads to a higher electron fraction. We implement electron screening on ECs to calculate explosive SN Ia nucleosynthesis in a near-M_Ch single degenerate model. It is found that some of neutron-rich nuclear abundances, namely those of 46,48Ca, 50Ti, 54Cr, 58Fe, 64Ni and 67,70Zn, decrease when screening effects on ECs are considered. Of these, 50Ti, 54Cr and 58Fe are particularly interesting because a significant portion of the solar abundance of these nuclei is presumed to originate from SNe Ia. We conclude that implementing the screening effect on ECs in modern SN Ia models is desirable to precisely calculate abundances of neutron-rich nuclides.

astro-ph.HE↗