Related papers: Explosive Nucleosynthesis: What we learned and wha…
There is a high demand for nuclear data in multidisciplinary subject like nuclear astrophysics. The two areas of nuclear physics which are most clearly related to one another are stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis. The necessity for…
Nuclear reactions transform atomic nuclei inside stars. This is the process of stellar nucleosynthesis. The basic concepts of determining nuclear reaction rates inside stars are reviewed. How stars manage to burn their fuel so slowly most…
The origins of the elements and isotopes of cosmic material is a critical aspect of understanding the evolution of the universe. Nucleosynthesis typically requires physical conditions of high temperatures and densities. These are found in…
Nuclear astrophysics is that branch of astrophysics which helps understanding some of the many facets of the Universe through the knowledge of the microcosm of the atomic nucleus. In the last decades much advance has been made in nuclear…
The determination of the injection composition of cosmic ray nuclei within astrophysical sources requires sufficiently accurate descriptions of the source physics and the propagation - apart from controlling astrophysical uncertainties. We…
We summarize the history, theory, observational status, and implications of big-bang nucleosynthesis.
The sources of nuclear uncertainties in nova nucleosynthesis have been identified using hydrodynamical nova models. Experimental efforts have followed and significantly reduced those uncertainties. This is important for the evaluation of…
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.
Massive stars evolve toward the catastrophic collapse of their innermost core, producing core-collapse supernova (SN) explosions as the end products. White dwarfs, formed through evolution of the less massive stars, also explode as…
Radioactivity was discovered as a by-product of searching for elements with suitable chemical properties. Understanding its characteristics led to the development of nuclear physics, understanding that unstable configurations of nucleons…
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.…
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…
We review the nuclear physics input necessary for the study of the collapse of massive stars as precursor to supernova explosions. Recent theoretical advances for the calculation of the relevant weak-interaction processes and their…
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), along with the cosmic background radiation and the Hubble expansion, is one of the pillars ofthe standard, hot, big bang cosmology since the primordial synthesis of the light nuclides (D, $^3$He, $^4$He,…
The explosion energy of thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae is derived from the difference in nuclear binding energy liberated in the explosive fusion of light 'fuel' nuclei, predominantly carbon and oxygen, into more tightly bound nuclear…
A revolution in nuclear physics is underway. If you know hadron physics you also know that it will last long, as most past developments in nuclear physics have shown. It will take many decades of dedicated efforts of theorists and…
One of the most compelling pieces of evidence of the Hot Big Bang model is the realisation and confirmation that some nuclides were created shortly after the Big Bang. This process is referred to as Big Bang nucleosynthesis (or, sometimes,…
A selected overview of stellar effects and reaction mechanisms with relevance to the prediction of astrophysical reaction rates far off stability is provided.
Massive stars and their supernovae are prominent sources of radioactive isotopes, the observations of which thus can help to improve our astrophysical models of those. Our understanding of stellar evolution and the final explosive endpoints…
Neutrinos produced during a supernova explosion induce reactions on abundant nuclei in the outer stellar shells and contribute in this way to the synthesis of the elements in the Universe. This neutrino nucleosynthesis process has been…