In a binary system, a short-lived phase called a common envelope can occur in which both stars share the envelope of the primary. During this phase, there is the opportunity for nucleosynthesis to occur at high temperatures and densities in the accretion disk which forms around the secondary star. Our system of interest is one in which the secondary star is a neutron star. Exploration of nucleosynthesis in common envelope systems is in its initial stages. Work has been done exploring potential r-process in late stage common envelopes, but neutron stars accreting material in common envelopes were first explored by Keegans et al. 2019 (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019MNRAS.485..620K/abstract) - which found that these systems can contribute to galactic chemical evolution.
In this work, we are exploring the production of light p-nuclides - dubbed "p-nuts" in the community. The origins of the light p-nuclides is an unanswered question in literature, and neutron star common envelope systems have not been considered as a potential source until now. In this talk, I will introduce common envelopes and their importance for the evolution of compact binary systems such as neutron star mergers and type Ia supernovae. I will then introduce p-nuclides and why we are interested in exploring them. Our model will be introduced, and I will show current results including initial yields of material from a common envelope system.