Related papers: Nuclear Astrophysics
Neutrino astrophysics offers new perspectives on the Universe investigation: high energy neutrinos, produced by the most energetic phenomena in our Galaxy and in the Universe, carry complementary (if not exclusive) information about the…
There exist a range of exciting scientific opportunities for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) in the coming decade. BBN, a key particle astrophysics "tool" for decades, is poised to take on new capabilities to probe beyond standard model…
The existence of neutron star mergers has been supported since the discovery of the binary pulsar and the observation of its orbital energy loss, consistent with General Relativity. They are considered nucleosynthesis sites of the rapid…
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,…
After a successful core-collapse supernova, a neutrino-driven wind develops where it is possible to synthesize lighter heavy elements ($30<Z<45$). In the early galaxy, the origin of these elements is associated to the r-process and to an…
Nuclear reactions generate energy in nuclear reactors, in stars, and are responsible for the existence of all elements heavier than hydrogen in the universe. Nuclear reactions denote reactions between nuclei, and between nuclei and other…
Recent experimental data and progress in nuclear structure modeling have lead to improved descriptions of astrophysically important weak-interaction processes. The review discusses these advances and their applications to hydrostatic solar…
We present an up-to-date review of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). We discuss the main improvements which have been achieved in the past two decades on the overall theoretical framework, summarize the impact of new experimental results on…
The early universe provides a unique laboratory for probing the frontiers of particle physics in general and neutrino physics in particular. The primordial abundances of the relic nuclei produced during the first few minutes of the…
We explore the unique and fascinating structure of neutron stars. Although neutron stars are of interest in many areas of Physics, our aim is to provide an intellectual bridge between Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics. We argue against the…
The current picture of the collapse and explosion of massive stars and the formation of neutron stars is reviewed. According to the favored scenario, however by no means proven and undisputed, neutrinos deposit the energy of the explosion…
This manuscript reviews recent progress in our understanding of the nucleosynthesis of medium and heavy elements in supernovae. Recent hydrodynamical models of core-collapse supernovae show that a large amount of proton rich matter is…
These lectures, presented at the International School of Physics ``Enrico Fermi,'' deal with two major themes. The first is the remarkable story of the solar neutrino problem, which (along with the atmospheric neutrino anomaly) recently led…
Modeling the evolution of the elements in the Milky Way is a multidisciplinary and challenging task. In addition to simulating the 13 billion years evolution of our Galaxy, chemical evolution simulations must keep track of the elements…
Here I review some nuclear physics aspects of core-collapse supernovae concerning neutrinos. Studies of neutrino emission and interactions in supernovae are crucial to our understanding of the explosion mechanism, the heavy element…
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 synthesis of heavy elements in the Universe presents several challenges. From one side the astrophysical site is still undetermined and on other hand the input from nuclear physics requires the knowledge of properties of exotic nuclei,…
Thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the surface of accreting neutron stars are the most common astrophysical explosions in our galaxy. They provide a unique window into the physics of neutron stars, the physics of matter under extreme…
Atomic nuclei are quantum many-body systems of protons and neutrons held together by strong nuclear forces. Under the proper conditions, nuclei can break into two (sometimes three) fragments which will subsequently decay by emitting…
It is proposed here to investigate three major properties of the nuclear force that influence the amplitude of shell gaps, the nuclear binding energies as well as the nuclear $\beta$-decay properties far from stability, that are all key…