Beta-Decay of Nuclei Near the Neutron Shell N=126

A self-consistent approach to the weak interaction rates is presented. It is based on the generalized energy-density functional method and continuum QRPA. The study has been made of the beta-decay total energy releases, half-lives and beta-delayed neutron emission branchings for recently identified near-spherical nuclei with charge numbers Z = 76-79 approaching the closed neutron shell at N = 126. Together with our previous calculations near N = 28, 50, 82 this provides an important update to the standard set of weak rates for the r-process modeling, radioactive beam experiments and advanced reactor applications. Within the fully microscopic framework a significant competition is found of the Gamow-Teller and first-forbidden decay contributions to the total half-lives.