Speaker
Description
While nuclei lighter than Fe are fused over the course of typical stellar evolution, about half of the heavier elements are created through the rapid neutron capture process (r-process). These nuclei are thought to be produced in magnetized outflows from neutron-rich explosive events including compact mergers and core-collapse supernovae. I will discuss the potential of neutrino-driven winds from strongly magnetized and rapidly rotating protomagnetars as plausible sites for r-process nucleosynthesis. As these heavy nuclei can eventually lead to ultra-high energy cosmic rays, we examine the acceleration and survival conditions for these nuclei in these environments. We also model the propagation of these jets within Wolf-Rayet stars and blue/red supergiants. In particular, we analyze the criteria for a successful jet breakout, maximum energy deposited into the cocoon and structural stability of these magnetized jets. We show that high-energy (TeV-PeV) neutrinos can be produced for extended progenitors like blue/red supergiants and estimate the detectability of these neutrinos with upcoming detectors such as IceCube-Gen2.
