Conveners
Friday - Session 1
- Daniel Bemmerer
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are responsible for the production of the main component, i.e. nuclei from Sr to Pb, of the solar s-process distribution. Despite tremendous advances in the theoretical modeling of these objects over the last few decades, many uncertainties remain. An example is represented by the still-unknown mechanism leading to the $^{13}$C neutron source. The...
This contribution highlights the importance of targetry in nuclear physics and astrophysics experiments. Three different stages are described: 1) production, purification and characterization of starting materials, with a concise description of the opportunity offered by PSI in this respect; 2) target manufacture, with emphasis on the last developments obtained at PSI; 3) characterization of...
The study of heavy-ion fusion reactions of light systems is essential for the understanding of the astrophysical reaction networks responsible for the energy production and elemental synthesis in stellar environments. At far sub-barrier energies, fusion is influenced by the hindrance phenomenon [1]. Fusion of light heavy-ions is characterised by a positive Q-value and establishing the presence...
Neutron-induced reactions on unstable nuclei play an important in nuclear astrophysics and for applications of nuclear technology. However, due to the radioactive nature of the nuclei involved, these reactions are extremely difficult or impossible to directly measure. The importance of these reactions has motivated the development of several indirect methods for constraining their properties,...
Neutron-rich isotopes between Sr and Ag are thought to be synthesized in the neutrino-driven ejecta of core-collapse supernova explosions via the weak r-process [1]. Recent nucleosynthesis simulations demonstrated that (α,xn) reactions play a crucial role in the formation of these isotopes [1-4]. The rates of the (α,n) reactions are provided by the Hauser-Feshbach model. The main uncertainty...
