The p-process in exploding rotating massive stars
Abstract
Context. The p-process nucleosynthesis can explain proton-rich isotopes that are heavier than iron, which are observed in the Solar System, but discrepancies still persist (e.g. for the Mo and Ru p-isotopes), and some important questions concerning the astrophysical site(s) of the p-process remain unanswered.
Aims: We investigate how the p-process operates in exploding rotating massive stars that have experienced an enhanced s-process nucleosynthesis during their life through rotational mixing.
Methods: With the Geneva stellar evolution code, we computed 25 M⊙ stellar models at a metallicity of Z = 10−3 with different initial rotation velocities and rates for the still largely uncertain 17O(α,γ)21Ne reaction. The nucleosynthesis calculation, followed with a network of 737 isotopes, was coupled to stellar evolution, and the p-process nucleosynthesis was calculated in post-processing during both the final evolutionary stages and spherical explosions of various energies. The explosions were modelled with a relativistic hydrodynamical code.
Results: In our models, the p-nuclides are mainly synthesized during the explosion, but not much during the ultimate hydrostatic burning stages. The p-process yields mostly depend on the initial number of trans-iron seeds, which in turn depend on the initial rotation rate. We found that the impact of rotation on the p-process is comparable to the impact of rotation on the s-process. From no to fast rotation, the s-process yields of nuclides with mass number A < 140 increase by 3−4 dex, and so do the p-process yields. Fast rotation with a lower 17O(α, γ) rate significantly produces s- and p-nuclides with A ≥ 140. The dependence of the p-process yields on the explosion energy is very weak.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that the contribution of core-collapse supernovae from massive stars to the solar (and Galactic) p-nuclei has been underestimated in the past, and more specifically, that the contribution from massive stars with sub-solar metallicities may even dominate. A more detailed study including stellar models with a wide range of masses and metallicities remains to be performed, together with a quantitative analysis that is based on the chemical evolution of the Galaxy.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- May 2022
- DOI:
- 10.1051/0004-6361/202243331
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2203.16380
- Bibcode:
- 2022A&A...661A..86C
- Keywords:
-
- stars: massive;
- stars: rotation;
- stars: interiors;
- stars: abundances;
- nuclear reactions;
- nucleosynthesis;
- abundances;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 12 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in A&