Testing the Effects of Astrophysical Reaction Rate Libraries on Stellar Models

The proper modeling of many astrophysical processes require a thorough understanding of the nuclear reactions that govern them. In particular, the rate at which these reactions proceed is critical to accurate modeling. Reaction rates have been formulated both through experimental measures and theoretical calculations. Along with the nuclear network that describes how each isotope interacts with each other, they form the basis for necessary calculations the model must run. In an attempt to store all the individual reaction rates in one place, and to keep them up to date, several different libraries have been created. These databases are independent efforts that lack standard practices between them and ongoing stewardship of the database. The goal of this project is to highlight the variation in results when using different reaction rate libraries, illustrating the need for cooperation. Computationally robust stellar models of X-Ray Bursts will be run in Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA), which blends the reaction rate libraries into the models itself. Several astrophysical variables of interest, such as isotope abundance and features of the light curve, will be analyzed for each model using varying reaction rate libraries. Any inconsistency in results will be discussed along with suggestions for unified efforts with the intent to establish a standard for compiling astrophysical reaction rates.