Dynamics of neutrino-driven winds: inclusion of accurate weak interaction rates in strong magnetic fields

Abstract

Solving Newtonian steady-state wind equations while considering the accurate weak interaction rates and magnetic fields (MFs) of young neutron stars, we study the dynamics and nucleosynthesis of neutrino-driven winds (NDWs) from proto neutron stars (PNSs). For a typical 1.4 M⊙ PNS model, we find that the nucleosynthesis products are closely related to the luminosity of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos. The lower the luminosity is, the larger is the effect on the NDWs caused by weak interactions and MFs. At a high anti-neutrino luminosity of typically 8 × 1051 erg s−1, neutrinos and anti-neutrinos dominate the processes in an NDW and the MFs hardly change the wind's properties. But at a low anti-neutrino luminosity of 1051 erg s−1 at the late stage of an NDW the mass of the product and process of nucleosynthesis are changed significantly in strong MFs. Therefore, in most of the models considered for the NDWs from PNSs, based on our calculations, the influences of MFs and the net weak interactions on the nucleosynthesis are not significant.