Neutrino absorption by hot nuclei in supernova environments

Abstract

Using the thermal quasiparticle random phase approximation, we study the process of neutrino and antineutrino capture on hot nuclei in supernova environments. For the sample nuclei $^{56}$Fe and $^{82}$Ge we perform a detailed analysis of thermal effects on the strength distribution of allowed Gamow-Teller transitions which dominate low-energy charged-current neutrino reactions. The finite temperature cross sections are calculated taking into account the contributions of both allowed and forbidden transitions. The enhancement of the low-energy cross sections is explained by considering thermal effects on the GT$_\pm$ strength. For $^{56}$Fe we compare the calculated finite-temperature cross sections with those obtained from large-scale shell-model calculations.