Related papers: Stars as thermonuclear reactors: their fuels and a…
Half a century has passed since the foundation of nuclear astrophysics. Since then, this discipline has reached its maturity. Today, nuclear astrophysics constitutes a multidisciplinary crucible of knowledge that combines the achievements…
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…
The finding of an unexpectedly large source of energy from repulsive interactions between neutrons in the 2,850 known nuclides has challenged the assumption that H-fusion is the main source of energy that powers the Sun and other stars.…
For millennia, mankind has been fascinated by the marvel of the starry night sky. Yet, a proper scientific understanding of how stars form, shine, and die is a relatively recent achievement, made possible by the interplay of different…
Starting from the early works by Weizsaecker and Bethe about fusion cycles and energy conversion in stars, a brief survey of thermonuclear processes in stars leading to contemporary research problems in this field is given. Special emphasis…
During the collapse of massive stars, and the supernova type-II explosions, stellar matter reaches densities and temperatures which are similar to the ones obtained in intermediate-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. The nuclear…
The early 21st century witnesses a dramatic rise in the study of thermal radiation of neutron stars. Modern space telescopes have provided a wealth of valuable information which, when properly interpreted, can elucidate the physics of…
The first massive stars triggered the onset of chemical evolution by releasing the first metals (elements heavier than helium) in the Universe. The nature of these stars and how the early chemical enrichment took place is still largely…
Repulsive interactions between neutrons in compact stellar cores cause luminosity and a steady outflow of hydrogen from stellar surfaces. Neutron repulsion in more massive compact objects made by gravitational collapse produces violent,…
We present a nucleosynthesis calculation of a 25 solar mass star of solar composition that includes all relevant isotopes up to polonium. In particular, all stable isotopes and necessary nuclear reaction rates are covered. We follow the…
Stellar nucleosynthesis is an important nuclear physics phenomenon that is responsible for presently observed chemical elements and isotope abundances. It is also one of the corner stone hypotheses that provides basis for our understanding…
Nuclear reactions govern major aspects of the chemical evolution od galaxies and stars. Analytic study of the reaction rates and reaction probability integrals is attempted here. Exact expressions for the reaction rates and reaction…
Supernovae are the most powerful cosmic sources of MeV neutrinos. These elementary particles play a crucial role when the evolution of a massive star is terminated by the collapse of its core to a neutron star or a black hole and the star…
The observation of neutrinos from Supernova~1987A has confirmed the theoretical conjecture that these particles play a crucial role during the collapse of the core of a massive star. Only one per cent of the energy they carry away from the…
We recall the basic physical principles governing the evolution of stars with some emphasis on the role played by the nuclear reactions. We argue that in general it is not possible from observations of stars to deduce constraints on the…
The mechanism of stabilization of neutron-excess nuclei in stars is considered. This mechanism must produce the neutronisation process in hot stars in the same way as it occurs in the dwarfs.
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…
Correct interpretation of X-ray observations of transiently accreting neutron stars requires modeling of nuclear-physical processes in these objects. We consider a chain of nuclear reactions that drives the crust composition in an accreting…
Neutrino processes in dense matter play a key role in the dynamics, deleptonization and early cooling of hot protoneutron stars formed in the gravitational collapse of massive stars. Here we calculate neutrino mean free paths from…
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…