Related papers: Challenges in nucleosynthesis of trans-iron elemen…
We observe photons and neutrinos from stars. Based on these observations, complemented by measurements of cosmic rays energies and composition, we have been able to constrain several models for the Big Bang and for stellar evolution. But…
A brief survey of nuclide abundances in the solar-system and in cosmic rays and of the believed mechanisms of their synthesis is given. The role of spallation processes in nucleosynthesis is discussed. A short review of recent measurements,…
The nucleosynthetic yield from a supernova explosion depends upon a variety of effects: progenitor evolution, explosion process, details of the nuclear network, and nuclear rates. Especially in studies of integrated stellar yields,…
Atomic nuclei are transformed into each other in the cosmos by nuclear reactions inside stars: -- the process of nucleosynthesis. The basic concepts of determining nuclear reaction rates inside stars and how they manage to burn their fuel…
We investigated the impact of uncertainties in neutron-capture and weak reactions (on heavy elements) on the s-process nucleosynthesis in low-mass stars using a Monte-Carlo based approach. We performed extensive nuclear reaction network…
The open question of where, when, and how the heavy elements beyond iron enrich our Universe has triggered a new era in nuclear physics studies.\ Of all the relevant nuclear physics inputs, the mass of very neutron-rich nuclides is a key…
The production of about half of the heavy elements found in nature is assigned to a specific astrophysical nucleosynthesis process: the rapid neutron capture process (r-process). Although this idea has been postulated more than six decades…
Simulations of nucleosynthesis in astrophysical environments are at the intersection of nuclear physics reaction rate research and astrophysical applications, for example in the area of galactic chemical evolution or near-field cosmology.…
An introduction to nucleosynthesis, the creation of the elements in the big bang, in interstellar matter and in stars is given. The two--step process $^4$He(2n,$\gamma$)$^6$He and the reverse photodisintegration $^6$He($\gamma$,2n)$^4$He…
A clear definition of the contribution from the slow neutron-capture process (s process) to the solar abundances between Fe and the Sr-Zr region is a crucial challenge for nuclear astrophysics. Robust s-process predictions are necessary to…
The rapid neutron capture process (r process) is believed to be responsible for about half of the production of the elements heavier than iron and contributes to abundances of some lighter nuclides as well. A universal pattern of r-process…
Nuclear reactions leading to formation of new superheavy elements and isotopes are discussed in the paper. ``Cold'' and ``hot'' synthesis, fusion of fission fragments, transfer reactions and reactions with radioactive ion beams are analyzed…
I describe in very simple terms the theoretical tools needed to investigate ultra-peripheral nuclear reactions for nuclear astrophysics purposes. For a more detailed account, see arXiv:0908.4307.
In the first stage of this work, we perform detailed calculations for the cross sections of the electron capture on nuclei under laboratory conditions. Towards this aim we exploit the advantages of a refined version of the proton-neutron…
We develop a method to compute thermally-mediated transition rates between the ground state and long-lived isomers in nuclei. We also establish criteria delimiting a thermalization temperature above which a nucleus may be considered a…
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.…
About half of the heavy elements in the Solar System were created by rapid neutron capture, or r-process, nucleosynthesis. In the r-process, heavy elements are built up via a sequence of neutron captures and beta decays in which an intense…
I discuss the recent progress in our understanding of nucleosynthesis via rapid neutron capture, the r-process, based on meteoritic data for the early solar system and observations of stars at low metallicities. At present, all data require…
The rapid neutron-capture process ($r$-process) has for the first time been confirmed to take place in a neutron-star merger event. A detailed understanding of the rapid neutron-capture process is one of the holy grails in nuclear…
We present what we know on nucleosynthesis in the Universe and hypotheses that have been made in this regard. A brief description of the Universe's evolution during its different stages is offered, indicating which are the periods and…