Neutron-rich alpha -rich Freeze-out and the r-Process in the High-Entropy Neutrino-energized Supernova Bubble

Abstract

The high-entropy α-rich freeze-out of neutron-rich nuclei suggested by Woosley and Hoffman and the subsequent formation of r-nuclides are studied in the framework of a recent supernova model. The calculations are performed with the help of a single reaction network that is able to describe the establishment of the nuclear statistical equilibrium, the charged-particle reaction freeze-out, and the subsequent neutron captures and β-decays that produce the r-nuclides. We analyze the effect of using various models for the nuclear binding energies, and in particular the new Extended Thomas-Fermi plus Strutinsky Integral method and the finite-range droplet model