Date/Time
Date(s) - 13/11/2024
10:30 am - 11:30 am

Location
Physics and Astronomy Department

ABB 102

Speaker: Dr. Thanassis Psaltis

Title: Postdoctoral Associate
Duke University
Dr. Psaltis Profile Link

Title: From Stars to Labs: Studying Nuclear Reactions in Supernova Explosions

Abstract:

Nuclear reactions are ubiquitous in stellar evolution because they are the energy sources of the stars that burn in the sky, and a consequence of these reactions is the production of the chemical elements around us.
Core-collapse supernova explosions, the last evolutionary stage of massive stars, are fascinating astrophysical events that are powered by nuclear reactions. These stellar explosions can explain the origin of elements beyond iron that cannot be synthesized in the pre-explosion conditions. In this colloquium, I will present two different nucleosynthesis processes that occur in core-collapse supernova explosions (?p-process and weak r-process). Then, I will discuss how by reducing the uncertainties of nuclear reaction rates and using spectroscopic information from the oldest stars in the Galaxy, we can constrain the astrophysical conditions of these explosions and explain the origin of the elements between strontium and silver. In addition, I will present results from recent nuclear reaction experiments relevant to these processes, and plans for the current and next generation of radioactive ion beam facilities around the world. These measurements will help us better understand the origin of the elements in the Cosmos.