Related papers: Gamma-Ray Line Astrophysics and Stellar Nucleosynt…
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…
Astrophysical gamma-ray spectroscopy is an invaluable tool for studying nuclear astrophysics, supernova structure, recent star formation in the Milky Way and mixing of nucleosynthesis products in the interstellar medium. After a short,…
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 $^{44}Ti$).…
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 most energetic part of the electromagnetic spectrum bears the purest clues to the synthesis of atomic nuclei in the universe. The decay of radioactive species, synthesized in stellar environments and ejected into the interstellar…
Gamma-ray line studies are capable of identifying radioactive tracer isotopes generated in cosmic nucleosynthesis events. Pioneering measurements were made 30 years ago with HEAO-C1, detecting the first interstellar gamma-ray line from…
Studies based on the gamma-ray lines from radioactive decay of unstable isotopes produced in massive-star and supernova nucleosynthesis have been among INTEGRAL's prominent science achievements. 26Al has become a tool to study specific…
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…
Gamma-ray spectrometers with high spectral resolution have been operated in space since 2002. Major efforts to understand instrumental response and backgrounds are a requird before detailed science interpretations can be derived; by now,…
Gamma-ray lines from cosmic sources provide unique isotopic information, since they originate from energy level transitions in the atomic nucleus. Gamma-ray telescopes explored this astronomical window in the past three decades, detecting…
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…
Cosmic nucleosynthesis co-produces unstable isotopes, which emit characteristic gamma-ray emission lines upon their radioactive decay that can be measured with SPI on INTEGRAL. High spectral resolution allows to derive velocity constraints…
Gamma-ray lines from radioactive isotopes, ejected into interstellar space by cosmic nucleosynthesis events, are observed with new space telescopes. The Compton Observatory had provided a sky survey for the isotopes 56Co, 22Na, 44Ti, and…
The nuclear $\gamma$-ray lines in the MeV range of the electromagnetic spectrum hold a vast variety of astrophysical, particle-physical, and fundamental physical information that is otherwise extreme difficult to access. MeV $\gamma$-ray…
We present a broad overview of the principal processes and astrophysical sites of gamma-ray line production and review the main pre-INTEGRAL satellite observations to set the stage to the next European era of gamma-ray line astronomy.
With the unequalled INTEGRAL observatory, ESA has provided a unique tool to the astronomical community that has made Europe the world leader in the field of gamma-ray astronomy. INTEGRAL provides an unprecedented survey of the soft…
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…
The measurement of gamma rays at MeV energies from cosmic radioactivities is one of the key tools for nuclear astrophysics, in its study of nuclear reactions and how they shape objects such as massive stars and supernova explosions.…
Diffuse gamma-ray emission from the decay of radioactive $^{26}$Al is a messenger from the nucleosynthesis activity in our current-day galaxy. Because this material is attributed to ejections from massive stars and their supernovae, the…
Nuclear physics offers us a powerful tool: using nuclear resonance absorption lines to infer the physical conditions in astrophysical settings which are otherwise difficult to deduce. Present-day technology provides an increase in…