A NEW FRAGMENTATION MODEL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 56 < A < 130 ELEMENTS AND P-NUCLEI

Amir Ouyed , Rachid Ouyed, Denis Leahy University of Calgary

Its assumed that the bulk A > 90 isotopes in the universe is produced by rapid neutron capture (r-process). Yet, current r-process site candidates either fail to trigger the environment necessary for the r-process or are only capable of creating very heavy A > 120 isotopes, the latter which leave a gap in 90 < A < 120 unexplained. Furthermore, the p-nuclei, which are 35 specic proton rich isotopes, are not completely reproduced by current models. We argue that the reason why sites that can trigger the r-process can only create heavy A > 120 isotopes, is because the models are incomplete: they require a spallation process to fragment A > 120 nuclei into A < 120 isotopes. We locate this spallation process in the explosive phase transition of a Neutron Star into a Quark Star, the Quark Nova (QN). Finally, this QN spallation also conveniently produce the p-nuclei without the deciencies characteristic of many p-process models.

Work

supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the National Research Council of Canada.

E-mail:ahouyedh@ucalgary.ca