Uncorrelated nuclear mass uncertainties and $r$-process abundance predictions

R. Surman, M. Mumpower, A. Aprahamian

Published Mazurian Lakes Conf. on Physics (2015)

Nuclear masses have long been recognized as key nuclear physics inputs for calculations of rapid neutron capture, or $r$-process, nucleosynthesis. Here we investigate how uncorrelated uncertainties in nuclear masses translate into uncertainties in the final abundance pattern produced in $r$-process simulations. These uncertainties can obscure details of the abundance pattern that in principle could be used to diagnose the $r$-process astrophysical site. We additionally examine the impact of reductions of mass uncertainties that will come with new experiments.