Nuclear-data input to the classical r-process: The case of β-decay properties

Attempts to explain the origin of r-process elements in our Solar System (S.S.) still face entwined uncertainties, stemming from the extrapolation of nuclear structure from the line of β-stability to the neutron drip line, inconsistent sources of different properties (e.g. nuclear masses and β-decay quantities), and the poor understanding of astrophysical conditions, which are often hard to disentangle. In this paper, we will focus on the two interrelated gross β-decay quantities T1/2 and P n . We compare the recent experimental T1/2 of very neutron-rich isotopes in the 36Kr to 50Sn region (measured at RIKEN) with consistent QRPA(GT+ff) predictions based on the two global deformed mass models ETFSI-Q(1996) and FRDM(2012). Analyzing the observed agreement and remaining deficiencies of the T1/2 trends, we predict the still unknown β-delayed neutron-emission probabilities (P n ) for these isotopes using the empirical Kratz-Herrmann formula (KHF) and the microscopic ETFSI-Q/QRPA(GT+ff) model combination.