General relativistic effects in the neutrino-driven wind and r-process nucleosynthesis

Abstract

We discuss general relativistic effects in the steady-state neutrino-driven ``wind'' which may arise from nascent neutron stars. In particular, we generalize previous analytic estimates of the entropy per baryon $S$, the mass outflow rate $\dot M$, and the dynamical expansion time scale $\tau_{dyn}$. We show that $S$ increases and $\tau_{dyn}$ decreases with increasing values of the mass-to-radius ratio describing the supernova core. Both of these trends indicate that a more compact core will lead to a higher number of neutrons per iron peak seed nucleus. Such an enhancement in the neutron-to-seed ratio may be required for successful r-process nucleosynthesis in neutrino-heated supernova ejecta.