Chromium Nucleosynthesis and Silicon-Carbon Shell Mergers in Massive Stars

We analyze the production of the element Cr in galactic chemical evolution (GCE) models using the NuGrid nucleosynthesis yields set. We show that the unusually large [Cr/Fe] abundance at [Fe/H] $\approx 0$ reported by previous studies using those yields and predicted by our Milky Way model originates from the merging of convective Si-burning and C-burning shells in a 20 $M_\odot$ model at metallicity $Z=0.01$, about an hour before the star explodes. This merger mixes the incomplete burning material in the Si shell, including $^{51}$V and $^{52}$Cr, out to the edge of the carbon/oxygen (CO) core. The adopted supernova model ejects the outer 2 $M_\odot$ of the CO core, which includes a significant fraction of the Cr-rich material. When including this 20 $M_\odot$ model at $Z=0.01$ in the yields interpolation scheme of our GCE model for stars in between 15 and 25 $M_\odot$, we overestimate [Cr/Fe] by an order of magnitude at [Fe/H] $\approx$ 0 relative to observations in the Galactic disk. This raises a number of questions regarding the occurrence of Si-C shell mergers in nature, the accuracy of different simulation approaches, and the impact of such mergers on the pre-supernova structure and explosion dynamics. According to the conditions in this 1D stellar model, the substantial penetration of C-shell material into the Si-shell could launch a convective-reactive global oscillation, if a merger does take place. In any case, GCE provides stringent constraints on the outcome of this stellar evolution phase.

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