Nuclear β-decays of highly ionized heavy atoms in stellar interiors

Abstract β-transition processes of heavy nuclei in stellar interiors are re-investigated. First, the relative abundances of ions in thermal equilibrium for given temperature, density and chemical composition are determined by solving the Saha ionization equation with the simultaneous inclusion of the continuum depression evaluated from a finite-temperature Thomas-Fermi model. Next, β-transitions in the equilibrated matter are studied. The numerical results for some selected examples demonstrate the need for such an involved treatment of β-decays (and particularly of bound-state β− decays and orbital-electron captures) of certain nuclei of astrophysical importance.