Q values in rp-process and a new mass formula

The astrophysical rapid proton capture (rp) process involves proton rich nuclei at or beyond the proton drip line. This process takes place in hot explosive proton-rich environment such as X-ray bursts. Measurements of mass of these nuclei are very difficult. Even when they have been possible, the measurements have very large errors in many instances. In many other nuclei, one has to depend on the theoretical estimates obtained from various mass formulas. In the present work, the effect of the mass uncertainty on the final abundance of rp-process is investigated. The possible effect of the variation in the mass value, or alternatively the Q-value, of a particular proton capture reaction, on the final abundance at different masses is studied. In this work, the effect of the Q value of the reaction 64Ge(p, γ)65As on the rp-process path will be investigated. In this work, a new phenomenological mass formula has been used