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

Neutron-capture elements often are extremely overabundant in metal-poor halo stars. In some cases we have been able to determine accurate abundances or significant upper limits to over 30 elements with Z>30. These detailed abundance distributions can provide significant constraints on neutron- capture nucleosynthesis predictions. But how well do we really know the neutron-capture...

Observations of elemental abundances in metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo and dwarf galaxies are used to shed light on the stellar sources for the elements (1) from Na to Zn, (2) from Sr to Ag, and (3) from Ba to U. The production of Sr, Y, and Zr in the neutrino-driven winds from nascent neutron stars provides a key insight into the diverse sources operating in the early universe. It is...

Observations indicate that r-process elements have at least two components. The heavy r-process nuclei (A>130) are synthesized by rapid neutron capture in a yet unknown site. The second component corresponds to the lighter element primary process (LEPP) or weak r-process. Our nucleosynthesis studies are based on hydrodynamical simulations for core-collapse supernovae and their subsequent...