EMMI workshop: Neutron Matter in Astrophysics: From Neutron Stars to the r-Process

Within the Generalized Energy-density Functional method we have systematically calculated the beta-decay total energy releases, half-lives and beta-delayed neutron emission branchings for near-spherical nuclei with charge numbers Z = 60 - 80 near the neutron shell at N = 126. Together with our previous calculations this provides a basic set of the weak rates for the r-process modeling. Our half-lives predictions can provide a benchmark for the experiments on the production of heavy neutron-rich nuclei close to N = 126 and measuring their beta half-lives at the fragment separator FRS-ESR at the GSI, Darmstadt. A reasonable agreement with the half-lives recently measured in GSI justify our predictions for the half-lives of the N = 126 r-process waiting-point nuclei. We will specifically discuss a principal contribution of first-forbidden transitions to the half-lives and Pn-values near N = 126.