Weak interaction processes in stars

Major astrophysical applications involve a huge number of exotic nuclei. An important effort has been devoted during the last decades to the measurements of the masses and β-decay rates of very neutron-rich nuclei at RIB facilities. However, most of them cannot be synthesised in terrestrial laboratories and only theoretical predictions can fill the gap. We concentrate mainly on the β-decay rates needed for the stellar r-process modeling and for performing the RIB experiments. The continuum QRPA approach based on the self-consistent ground state description in the framework of the density functional theory is briefly described. The model for the large-scale calculations of total β-decay half-lives accounts for the Gamow-Teller and first-forbidden transitions. Due to the shell configuration effect, the first-forbidden decays have a strong impact on the total half-lives of the r-process relevant nuclei at N=126, Z=60-70. The performance of existing global models for the nuclides near the r-process paths at N=126 is critically analyzed and confronted with the recent RIB experiments in the region 'east' of 208Pb . The possible role of neutrino nucleosynthesis is exemplified by the production of rare isotope 138La via the neutrino process