Nuclear sensitivity studies of astrophysical r-process models

The intermediary steps of the nuclear rapid neutron capture process, or r-process, take place so far outside nuclear stability that many of the exotic nuclei involved have not been studied experimentally. With the opening of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), experimental measurements of some of these species are finally within reach. This computational project provides an analytical framework for identifying the few key rare isotopes with the most potential to influence the outcome of the r-process. Using the modular nuclear reaction network Skynet, we perform sensitivity studies on the nuclei involved in the r-process. By varying the half-lives of each significant species involved in the computation, we identify which key nuclides could have the greatest effect on our current understanding of the r-process once its half-life is measured experimentally.