Speaker
Dr
Michael Heil
(FZK Karlsruhe)
Description
In the last decades considerable effort in experimental nuclear astrophysics, stellar
modelling, and observations led to an improved understanding of various
nucleosynthesis scenarios. This is particularly true for the main s process in
low-mass AGB stars, which is largely responsible for the production of about half of
the elemental abundances in the mass range 90 ≤ A ≤ 209. The weak s process, which
produces elements with A ≤ 90, however, is much less understood. Since this process
operates in massive stars it is ultimately linked with the abundance contributions of
explosive nucleosynthesis in supernovae (SN II). In this field more accurate neutron
capture cross sections in the mass range 56 ≤ A ≤ 90 are indispensable for meaningful
comparisons of model predictions with observational data. The abundant light elements
with A < 56 play an important role, since they act as neutron poisons and affect the
stellar neutron balance. The essential role of the time of flight facility n_TOF at
CERN for determining the important key neutron capture reactions will be discussed.
Primary author
Dr
Michael Heil
(FZK Karlsruhe)
