Related papers: Massive-Star Nucleosynthesis and INTEGRAL
In order to study the processes creating intermediate and heavy nuclei in massive stars it is necessary to provide neutron capture cross sections and reaction rates close to stability and for moderately unstable neutron-rich nuclei.…
Diffuse emission is often challenging since it is undetectable by most instruments, which are generally dedicated to point-source studies. The $^{26}$Al emission is a good illustration: the only available $^{26}$Al map to date has been…
We briefly review the fundamentals of nuclear gamma-ray line astronomy (radioactive astronomy), focusing on its role to decipher the intimate physics of supernovae, either immediatly (via $^{56}Co)$ or after a time delay (via $^{44}Ti$).…
In this review I discuss the various gamma-ray emission lines that are expected and have been observed from radioactive explosive nucleosynthesis products. The most important gamma-ray lines result from the decay chains of Ni-56, Ni-57, and…
We present the first calculations to follow the evolution of all stable isotopes (and their abundant radioactive progenitors) in a finely zoned stellar model computed from the onset of central hydrogen burning through explosion as a Type II…
The Scorpius-Centaurus association is the most-nearby group of massive and young stars. As nuclear-fusion products are ejected by massive stars and supernovae into the surrounding interstellar medium, the search for characteristic…
Gamma-ray instrumentation for astronomical spectroscopy consists of multiple-interaction detectors in space combined with sophisticated post-processing of detector events on ground. Spectral signatures in the MeV regime originate from…
Long-lived radioactive by-products of nucleosynthesis provide an opportunity to trace the flow of ejecta away from its sources for times beyond where ejecta can be seen otherwise. Gamma rays from such radioactive decay in interstellar space…
Astrophysical gamma-ray spectroscopy is a most valuable tool for studying nuclear astrophysics, as well as recent star formation in the Milky Way. After a short, historical, introduction to the field, I present a brief review of the most…
Measurements of high-energy photons from cosmic sources of nuclear radiation through ESA's INTEGRAL mission have advanced our knowledge: New data with high spectral resolution showed that characteristic gamma-ray lines from radioactive…
The production of the radioactive isotopes $^{44}$Ti and $^{60}$Co in all types of supernovae is examined and compared to observational constraints including Galactic $\gamma$--ray surveys, measurements of the diffuse 511 keV radiation,…
SN2011fe was detected by the Palomar Transient Factory on August 24th 2011 in M101 a few hours after the explosion. From the early optical spectra it was immediately realized that it was a Type Ia supernova thus making this event the…
The precision measurement of the 1809 keV gamma-ray line from Galactic $^{26}$Al is one of the goals of the SPI spectrometer on INTEGRAL with its Ge detector camera. We aim for determination of the detailed shape of this gamma-ray line, and…
Gamma-ray line observations provide a versatile tool for studies of nucleosynthesis processes and supernova physics. In particular, the observation of radioactive species in the interstellar medium probes recent nucleosynthesis activity on…
The COMPTEL map of the 1.809 MeV gamma-ray line, which is attributed to the radioactive decay of 26Al, shows significant excess emission in the Cygnus region. Cygnus is a region of recent star formation activity, which is rich in massive,…
The optical light curve of Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) is powered by thermalized gamma-rays produced by the decay of 56Ni and 56Co, the main radioactive isotopes synthesized by the thermonuclear explosion of a C/O white dwarf. Gamma-rays…
Radioactive decay of unstable atomic nuclei leads to liberation of nuclear binding energy in the forms of gamma-ray photons and secondary particles (electrons, positrons); their energy then energises surrounding matter. Unstable nuclei are…
With the launch of ESA's INTEGRAL satellite in october 2002, a gamma-ray observatory will become available to the scientific community that combines imaging and spectroscopic capacities in the 20 keV to 10 MeV energy range. In this paper,…
High energy emissions from supernovae (SNe), originated from newly formed radioactive species, provide direct evidence of nucleosynthesis at SN explosions. However, observational difficulties in the MeV range have so far allowed the signal…
The 44Ti(t1/2 = 59 y) nuclide, an important signature of supernova nucleosynthesis, has recently been observed as live radioactivity by gamma-ray astronomy from the Cas A remnant. We investigate in the laboratory the major 44Ti production…