Decay Characteristics of Neutron Excess Aluminum Nuclei

     In neutron star mergers, neutron excess nuclei and the r-process are important factors governing the production of heavier nuclear systems. A single-particle model evaluation of aluminum nuclei suggests that the heaviest Z = 13 nucleus will have mass 53 with filling of the 1f5/2 neutron shell. A = 40 – 53 aluminum isotopes have limited experimental half-life data, but the model predicts beta decay half-lives in the range of 0.534 – 4.62 ms. Based on previous calculations for Z = 9 -12, 20, 26, and 30 systems and comparisons to the 40Al – 43Al calculations summarized in the Japanese Nuclear Data Compilation, the single-particle model results likely overestimate the half-lives of A = 40 – 53 neutron excess aluminum nuclei.