Neutrinos and Heavy Element Nucleosynthesis

Abstract

This chapter discusses three nucleosynthesis processes involved in producing heavy nuclei beyond the iron group that are influenced or shaped by neutrino interactions: the ν process, the ν p process and the r process. These processes are all related to explosive events involving compact objects, such as core-collapse supernovae and binary neutron star mergers, where an abundant amount of neutrinos are emitted. The interactions of the neutrinos with nucleons and nuclei through both charged-current and neutral-current reactions play a crucial role in the nucleosynthesis processes. During the propagation of neutrinos inside the nucleosynthesis sites, neutrinos may undergo flavor oscillations that can also potentially affect the nucleosynthesis yields. Here we provide a general overview of the possible effects of neutrinos and neutrino flavor conversions on these three heavy-element nucleosynthesis processes. Heavy element nucleosynthesisThe seminal work of Burbidge et al. (1957) identified three main nucleosynthesis processes responsible for the synthesis of elements heavier than iron: the slow (s) and rapid (r) neutron capture processes and the proton-rich (p) process. Since this time, our understanding has evolved and new nucleosynthesis processes have been discovered, (