Home▸Space & Astronomy▸Kilonova r-process Nucleosynthesis 2D: Reaction-Network Flow

Kilonova r-process Nucleosynthesis 2D: Reaction-Network Flow

Interactive 2D r-process nucleosynthesis simulation: a deterministic, mass-conserving finite-difference reaction network solves how abundance Y(Z,A,t) flows across the nuclide chart via neutron capture and beta decay, so you can watch the real waiting-point pileups near neutron shell closures N = 50, 82, 126 build the three r-process abundance peaks from first principles rather than a stochastic walker sample.

Space & Astronomy2DAdvanced60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

This is the 2D counterpart to the 3D kilonova r-process simulation, built as an independent numerical model rather than a flattened version of the same scene. Instead of sampling the process with a small population of discrete Monte-Carlo walkers, this model directly solves a deterministic, mass-conserving reaction-network flow equation for the abundance density Y(Z,A,t) on the full (proton number, mass number) nuclide grid, using explicit conservative finite differences so that every neutron-capture and beta-decay transition moves abundance from one cell to its exact neighbor with nothing created or destroyed. Beta decay is suppressed by a shell-closure factor that is weakest exactly at the closed neutron shells N = 50, 82 and 126, so the flow genuinely stalls at those waiting points before advancing, while neutron capture chases a smooth (n,γ)⇆(γ,n) equilibrium curve that depends on ejecta temperature. Watch the live nuclide-chart flow above the abundance-vs-mass-number histogram below, which accumulates the time-integrated dwell at each mass number across waves and builds the same three real r-process peaks near A ≈ 80, 130 and 195 that forged the universe's gold, platinum and uranium. Adjust neutron flux, ejecta temperature and the seed nucleus to see how each reshapes the flow.

⚙ Under the hood

Watch a deterministic, mass-conserving finite-difference reaction network solve how abundance Y(Z,A,t) flows across the nuclide chart via neutron capture and beta decay: unlike the 3D version's Monte-Carlo walker sample, this 2D model directly integrates the flow equation on the full proton-number/mass-number grid, so the waiting-point pileups at neutron shell closures N = 50, 82, 126 and the resulting real r-process abundance peaks near A = 80, 130, 195 emerge from an explicit numerical solve rather than a stochastic sample.

nucleosynthesisr-processneutron-star-mergerkilonovanuclear-physicsisotopesreaction-network2D

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install