Related papers: Nucleosynthesis and Gamma Ray-Line Astronomy
We review the characteristics of nucleosynthesis and radioactivities in 'Hypernovae', i.e., supernovae with very large explosion energies ($ \gsim 10^{52} $ ergs) and their $\gamma$-ray line signatures. We also discuss the $^{44}$Ti line…
Astrophysical sources of nuclei are expected to produce a broad spectrum of isotopes, many of which are unstable. An unstable nucleus can beta-decay outside the source into a single-electron ion. Heavy one-electron ions, thus formed, can be…
Cosmic rays of kinetic energies below ~1 GeV per nucleon are thought to play a key role in the chemistry and dynamics of the interstellar medium. They are also thought to be responsible for nucleosynthesis of the light elements Li, Be, and…
The measurement of gamma rays from cosmic sources at MeV energies is one of the key tools for nuclear astrophysics, in its study of nuclear reactions and their impacts on objects and phenomena throughout the universe. Gamma rays trace…
Presently there are several classes of detected gamma-ray extragalatic sources. They are mostly associated to active galactic nuclei (AGN) and (at soft gamma rays) to gamma-ray bursts (GRB), but not only. Active galactic nuclei consist of…
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…
Recent observations of high ionization rates of molecular hydrogen in diffuse interstellar clouds point to a distinct low-energy cosmic-ray component. Supposing that this component is made of nuclei, two models for the origin of such…
Novae and supernovae play a key role in many fields of Astrophysics and Cosmology. Despite their importance, an accurate description of which objects explode and why and how they explode is still lacking. One of the main characteristics of…
Energy in stars is provided by nuclear reactions, which, in many cases, produce radioactive nuclei. When stable nuclei are irradiated by a flux of protons or neutrons, capture reactions push stable matter out of stability into the regime of…
Nuclear astrophysics aims at unraveling the cosmic origins of chemical elements and the physical processes powering stars. It constitutes a truly multidisciplinary field, that integrates tools, advancements, and accomplishments from…
We carried out kinetic calculations of thermonuclear burning in the hydrogen-rich matter to simulate nucleosynthesis yields in nova outbursts. These results are used to calculate the light curves of annihilation gamma-ray line from N, O and…
Gamma-ray telescopes are capable of measuring radioactive trace isotopes from cosmic nucleosynthesis events. Such measurements address new isotope production rather directly for a few key isotopes such as 44Ti, 26Al, 60Fe, and 56Ni, as well…
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…
It is shown that fusion of neutrons and protons to He-4 nuclei occurs in gamma-ray burst outflows in a process similar to big-bang nucleosynthesis in the early Universe. Only the surviving free neutrons can then decouple kinematically from…
The observation of a radioactively powered kilonova AT~2017gfo associated with the gravitational wave-event GW170817 from binary neutron star merger proves that these events are ideal sites for the production of heavy $r$-process elements.…
OB associations and young open clusters constitute the most prolific nucleosynthesis sites in our Galaxy. The combined activity of stellar winds and core-collapse supernovae ejects significant amounts of freshly synthesised nuclei into the…
Classical novae produce radioactive nuclei which are emitters of gamma-rays in the MeV range. Some examples are the lines at 478 and 1275 keV (from 7Be and 22Na) and the positron-electron annihilation emission, with the 511 keV line and a…
Diffuse gamma-ray line emission traces freshly produced radioisotopes in the interstellar gas, providing a unique perspective on the entire Galactic cycle of matter from nucleosynthesis in massive stars to their ejection and mixing in the…
We investigate the theoretical and observational implications of the acceleration of protons and heavier nuclei in supernova remnants (SNRs). By adopting a semi-analytical technique, we study the non-linear interplay among particle…
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…