Sprecher
Beschreibung
The crust of neutron stars in soft X-ray transients is heated up by nuclear reactions induced by hydrostatic compression during periods of active accretion. These periods alternate with quiescent phases, during which X-ray telescopes in space have monitored a gradual decrease in the thermal emission from the surface of a dozen neutron stars [1]. The exact location of heating sources and the crustal composition represent crucial parameters for the detailed modeling of the neutron star crust cooling and the correct interpretation of observational data [2]. They depend on the nuclear reaction flows which extend up to the neutron-drip line and beyond and are mainly governed by the binding energies of extremely neutron-rich nuclei. A large part of these nuclides is not yet accessible to terrestrial nuclear facilities. Hence, the reaction networks are forced to rely on theoretical predictions for nuclear masses. In this talk, I will show to what extent the nuclear evolution is sensitive to the applied nuclear mass model [3-5] and identify the key neutron-rich isotopes that are of particular interest for future laboratory measurements. In addition, I will present our latest efforts in building nuclear mass tables along with the relevant nuclear physics input for the wide range of astrophysical applications.
References
1. Wijnands R., Degenaar N. & Page D., J. Astrophys. Astron. 38, 49 (2017).
2. Potekhin A. Y., Chugunov A. I., Shchechilin N. N. & Gusakov M. E., J. High Ener. Astrophys. 45, 116–124 (2025).
3. Shchechilin N. N., Gusakov M. E. & Chugunov A. I., MNRAS, 507, 3860–3870 (2021).
4. Shchechilin N. N. & Chugunov A. I., MNRAS, 490, 3454–3463 (2019).
5. Fantina A. F., Zdunik J. L., Chamel N., Pearson J. M., Haensel P. & Goriely S., A&A 620, A105 (2018).
