Min Liu

Bio: Min Liu is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Neutron & Mass formula. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 12 citations.

An improved nuclear mass formula: WS3

Abstract: We introduce a global nuclear mass formula which is based on the macroscopic-microscopic method, the Skyrme energy-density functional and the isospin symmetry in nuclear physics. The rms deviation with respect to 2149 known nuclear masses falls to 336 keV, and the rms deviations from 1988 neutron separation energies and α-decay energies of 46 superheavy nuclei are significantly reduced to 286 and 248 keV, respectively. The predictive power of the mass formula for describing new measured masses in GSI and those in AME2011 is excellent. In addition, we introduce an efficient and powerful systematic method, radial basis function approach, for further improving the accuracy and predictive power of global nuclear mass models.

Neutron Star Mergers and Nucleosynthesis of Heavy Elements

Abstract: The existence of neutron star mergers has been supported since the discovery of the binary pulsar and the observation of its orbital energy loss, consistent with General Relativity. They are considered nucleosynthesis sites of the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process), which is responsible for creating approximately half of all heavy elements beyond Fe and is the only source of elements beyond Pb and Bi. Detailed nucleosynthesis calculations based on the decompression of neutron star matter are consistent with solar r-process abundances of heavy nuclei. Neutron star mergers have also been identified with short-duration -ray bursts via their IR afterglow. The high neutron densities in ejected matter permit a violent r-process, leading to fission cycling of the heaviest nuclei in regions far from (nuclear) stability. Uncertainties in several nuclear properties affect the abundance distributions. The modeling of astrophysical events also depends on the hydrodynamic treatment, the occurrence of a neutrino...

Neutron Star Mergers and Nucleosynthesis of Heavy Elements

Abstract: The existence of neutron star mergers has been supported since the discovery of the binary pulsar and the observation of its orbital energy loss, consistent with General Relativity. They are considered nucleosynthesis sites of the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process), which is responsible for creating approximately half of all heavy elements beyond Fe and is the only source of elements beyond Pb and Bi. Detailed nucleosynthesis calculations based on the decompression of neutron star matter are consistent with solar r-process abundances of heavy nuclei. Neutron star mergers have also been identified with short-duration {\gamma}-ray bursts via their IR afterglow. The high neutron densities in ejected matter permit a violent r-process, leading to fission cycling of the heaviest nuclei in regions far from (nuclear) stability. Uncertainties in several nuclear properties affect the abundance distributions. The modeling of astrophysical events also depends on the hydrodynamic treatment, the occurrence of a neutrino wind after the merger and before the possible emergence of a black hole, and the properties of black hole accretion disks. We discuss the effect of nuclear and modeling uncertainties and conclude that binary compact mergers are probably a (or the) dominant site of the production of r-process nuclei in our Galaxy.

The impact of uncertain nuclear masses near closed shells on the r-process abundance pattern

Abstract: Calculations of rapid neutron capture nucleosynthesis involve thousands of pieces of nuclear data for which no experimental information is available. Of the nuclear data sets needed for r-process simulations—masses, -decay rates, -delayed neutron emission probabilities, neutron capture rates, fission probabilities and daughter product distributions, neutrino interaction rates—masses are arguably the most important, because they are a key ingredient in the calculations of all other theoretical quantities. Here, we investigate how uncertainties in nuclear masses translate into uncertainties in the final abundance pattern produced in r-process simulations. We examine the influence of individual mass variations on three types of r-process simulations—a hot wind, cold wind, and neutron star merger r process—with markedly different r-process paths and resulting final abundance patterns. We find the uncertainties in the abundance patterns due to the mass variations exceed the differences due to the astrophysics. This situation can be improved, however, by even modest reductions in mass uncertainties.

Modification of magicity toward the dripline and its impact on electron-capture rates for stellar core collapse

Abstract: The importance of microphysical inputs from laboratory nuclear experiments and theoretical nuclear structure calculations in the understanding of the core collapse dynamics, and the subsequent supernova explosion, is largely recognized in the recent literature. In this work, we analyze the impact of the masses of very neutron rich nuclei on the matter composition during collapse, and the corresponding electron capture rate. To this aim, we introduce an empirical modification of the popular Duflo-Zuker mass model to account for possible shell quenching far from stability, and study the effect of the quenching on the average electron capture rate. We show that the preeminence of the N=50 and N=82 closed shells in the collapse dynamics is considerably decreased if the shell gaps are reduced in the region of 78Ni and beyond. As a consequence, local modifications of the overall electron capture rate up to 30\% can be expected, with integrated values strongly dependent on the stiffness of magicity quenching and progenitor mass and potential important consequences on the entropy generation, the neutrino emissivity, and the mass of the core at bounce. Our work underlines the importance of new experimental measurements in this region of the nuclear chart, the most crucial information being the nuclear mass and the Gamow-Teller strength. Reliable microscopic calculations of the associated elementary rate, in a wide range of temperatures and electron densities, optimized on these new empirical information, will be additionally needed to get quantitative predictions of the collapse dynamics.

Nuclear mass measurements map the structure of atomic nuclei and accreting neutron stars

Abstract: We present mass excesses (ME) of neutron-rich isotopes of Ar through Fe, obtained via TOF-$B\rho$ mass spectrometry at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. Our new results have significantly reduced systematic uncertainties relative to a prior analysis, enabling the first determination of ME for $^{58,59}{\rm Ti}$, $^{62}{\rm V}$, $^{65}{\rm Cr}$, $^{67,68}{\rm Mn}$, and $^{69,70}{\rm Fe}$. Our results show the $N=34$ subshell weaken at Sc and vanish at Ti, along with the absence of an $N=40$ subshell at Mn. This leads to a cooler accreted neutron star crust, highlighting the connection between the structure of nuclei and neutron stars.