Detailed microscopic calculation of stellar electron and positron capture rates on 24Mg for O+Ne+Mg core simulations

Few white dwarfs, located in binary systems, may acquire sufficiently high mass accretion rates resulting in the burning of carbon and oxygen under nondegenerate conditions forming a O+Ne+Mg core. These O+Ne+Mg cores are gravitationally less bound than more massive progenitor stars and can release more energy due to the nuclear burning. They are also amongst the probable candidates for low entropy r-process sites. Recent observations of subluminous Type II-P supernovae (e.g., 2005cs, 2003gd, 1999br, 1997D) were able to rekindle the interest in 8 - 10 M which develop O+Ne+Mg cores. Microscopic calculations of capture rates on 24Mg, which may contribute significantly to the collapse of O+Ne+Mg cores, using shell model and proton-neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation (pn-QRPA) theory, were performed earlier and comparisons made. Simulators, however, may require these capture rates on a fine scale. For the first time a detailed microscopic calculation of the electron and positron capture rates on 24Mg on an extensive temperature-density scale is presented here. This type of scale is more appropriate for interpolation purposes and of greater utility for simulation codes. The calculations are done using the pn-QRPA theory using a separable interaction. The deformation parameter, believed to be a key parameter in QRPA calculations, is adopted from experimental data to further increase the reliability of the QRPA results. The resulting calculated rates are up to a factor of 14 or more enhanced as compared to shell model rates and may lead to some interesting scenario for core collapse simulators. (author)