Beta-Decay Rates for Exotic Nuclei and R-Process Nucleosynthesis

Abstract

Beta-decay rates for exotic nuclei at N=126 relevant to r-process nucleosynthesis are studied by shell-model calculations. The half-lives obtained are used to study r-process nucleosynthesis in corecollapse supernova explosions and binary neutron star mergers. The element abundances are obtained up to the third peak as well as beyond the peak region up to uranium.