  After identifying the nuclei in the regions near A =80 and A = 160 for which
beta-decay rates have the greatest effect on weak and main r-process abundance
patterns, we apply the finite-amplitude method (FAM) with Skyrme energy-density
functionals (EDFs) to calculate beta-decay half-lives of those nuclei in the
quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA). We use the equal filling
approximation to extend our implementation of the charge-changing FAM, which
incorporates pairing correlations and allows axially symmetric deformation, to
odd-A and odd-odd nuclei. Within this framework we find differences of up to a
factor of seven between our calculated beta-decay half-lives and those of
previous efforts. Repeated calculations with nuclei near A = 160 and multiple
EDFs show a spread of two to four in beta-decay half-lives, with differences in
calculated Q values playing an important role. We investigate the implications
of these results for r-process simulations.

Nuclear Theory