Nuclear Reactions Of Astrophysical Interest

These peer-reviewed NIC XV conference proceedings present the latest major advances in nuclear physics, astrophysics, astronomy, cosmochemistry and neutrino physics, which provide the necessary framework for a microscopic understanding of astrophysical processes. The book also discusses future directions and perspectives in the various fields of nuclear astrophysics research. In addition, it also includes a limited number of section of more general interest on double beta decay and dark matter.

Most elements are synthesized, or "cooked", by thermonuclear reactions in stars. The newly formed elements are released into the interstellar medium during a star's lifetime, and are subsequently incorporated into a new generation of stars, into the planets that form around the stars, and into the life forms that originate on the planets. Moreover, the energy we depend on for life originates from nuclear reactions that occur at the center of the Sun. Synthesis of the elements and nuclear energy production in stars are the topics of nuclear astrophysics, which is the subject of this book. It presents nuclear structure and reactions, thermonuclear reaction rates, experimental nuclear methods, and nucleosynthesis in detail. These topics are discussed in a coherent way, enabling the reader to grasp their interconnections intuitively. The book serves both as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, with worked examples and end-of-chapter excercises, but also as a reference book for use by researchers working in the field of nuclear astrophysics.

Dramatic progress has been made in all branches of physics since the National Research Council's 1986 decadal survey of the field. The Physics in a New Era series explores these advances and looks ahead to future goals. The series includes assessments of the major subfields and reports on several smaller subfields, and preparation has begun on an overview volume on the unity of physics, its relationships to other fields, and its contributions to national needs. Nuclear Physics is the latest volume of the series. The book describes current activity in understanding nuclear structure and symmetries, the behavior of matter at extreme densities, the role of nuclear physics in astrophysics and cosmology, and the instrumentation and facilities used by the field. It makes recommendations on the resources needed for experimental and theoretical advances in the coming decade.

The recent discovery of a type II supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud provides a rare chance to compare models of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis directly with observations. This workshop covers thermonuclear reaction rates in chaos (experimental and theoretical), stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis and isotopic anomalies in meteorites and, in a final section, the supernovae, in particular SN 1987A. It brings the most interesting news in the rapidly developing field of nuclear astrophysics to researchers and also to graduate students. Recent and future developments are discussed. Special emphasis is placed on experimental and theoretical approaches to obtaining nuclear reaction rates, models of stellar evolution and explosions, and theories of nucleosynthesis. Various aspects of stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, and thermonuclear reactions of astrophysical interest are reviewed. Several contributions deal with supernova explosions of massive stars, and in particular with Supernova 1987A and its impact on current models of the evolution of massive stars, the gravitational collapse of stellar cores, and neutrino physics and astronomy.

Describes how the processes in stars which produce the chemical elements for planets and life may be reproduced in laboratories.

The Daresbury Recoil Separator (DRS) and Silicon Detector Array (SIDAR) have been installed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to perform measurements of reaction cross sections of astrophysical interest using radioactive ions beams (RIBs). For example radioactive 17F beams will be used to determine the 14O([alpha], p)17F and 17F(p, [gamma])18Ne stellar reaction rates--both of which are important reactions in the Hot-CNO cycle. The first reactions studied will be 1H(17F, p)17F and 1H(17F, [alpha])14O. These experiments will require 17F beams with intensities of 104--106 ions per second in conjunction with the SIDAR. The 1H(17F, p)17F reaction will be used to probe resonances in 18Ne which contribute to the 17F(p, [gamma])18Ne stellar reaction rate, while 1H(17F, [alpha])14O will be used to determine the stellar reaction rate of the inverse reaction 14O([alpha], p)17F. In preparation for these experiments, measurements have been made of the 1H(17O, p)17O and 1H(17O, [alpha])14N reaction cross sections. When higher beam currents of 17F become available, a direct measurement of the 1H(17F, 18Ne) resonance strength will be made using the DRS. To test the performance of the DRS for measuring capture reaction cross sections, the well-known 1H(12C, 13N) cross section has been measured at an energy similar to those proposed for radioactive beam experiments. Results from these stable beam experiments are discussed.