Nuclear Shell Effects near the r-Process Path at N=82 in the Relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov Theory

Abstract

Evolution of the shell structure of nuclei near the neutron drip line is investigated in the Relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (RHB) theory. By introducing the vector self-coupling of $\omega$ meson in the RHB theory, we reproduce successfully the experimental data on the shell effects about the waiting-point nucleus $^{80}$Zn. With this basis, it is shown that the shell effects at N=82 in the inaccessible region of the r-process path remain strong. In contrast, a quenching exhibited by the HFB+SkP approach is shown to be incompatible with the available data. Consequently, the neutrino-driven mechanism of the nucleosynthesis is supported.