Decay Characteristics of Neutron Excess Scandium Nuclei

Bevelacqua Resources, 7531 Flint Crossing Circle SE, Owens Cross Roads, AL 35762 USA  bevelresou@aol.com      In neutron star mergers, neutron excess nuclei and the r-process are important factors governing the production of heavier nuclear systems. A single-particle model evaluation of Scandium nuclei suggests that the heaviest Z = 21 nucleus will have mass 71 with filling of the 1g9/2 neutron shell. A = 59 – 71 scandium isotopes have limited experimental half-life data, but the model predicts beta decay half-lives in the range of 0.312 – 7.60 ms. Based on previous calculations for Z = 9 - 20, 26, and 30 systems and comparisons to the 59Sc – 67Sc calculations, summarized in the Japanese Nuclear Data Compilation, the single-particle model results likely overestimate the half-lives of A = 59 – 71 neutron excess scandium nuclei. KEYWORDS: Nucleosynthesis, Neutron Excess Scandium Nuclei, Beta Decay, Nuclear Structure