Constraining Properties of Type I X-Ray Bursts through Nuclear Physics Experiments
Dec 7, 2011
3:30PM to 4:30PM
Date/Time
Date(s) - 07/12/2011
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Title: Constraining Properties of Type I X-Ray Bursts through Nuclear Physics Experiments
Speaker: Dr. Anuj Parikh – UPC Barcelona
Institute: The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona
Location: ABB 102
Description:
Type I X-ray bursts are explosive astrophysical phenomena resulting from thermonuclear ignition in the envelopes of accreting neutron stars. More than 90 sources exhibiting such bursts have been identified in our Galaxy. Nucleosynthesis in these events may involve up to several thousand nuclear processes along the proton-rich side of the valley of stability. Reactions most likely to rapidly develop equilibrium with their corresponding inverse processes are of particular interest in these environments as they impede a continuous abundance flow towards heavier-mass nuclei. We review recent efforts to both determine and measure nuclear reactions and masses whose uncertainties significantly affect model predictions of X-ray burst light curves and nucleosynthesis.