Colloquium

Two long-standing problems in nuclear astrophysics, studied with radioactive ion beams

Dr. Xiaodong Tang
Argonne National Laboratory

Wednesday, May 3, 2006   4:00 p.m.  NSH 118

(Refreshments at 3:30 p.m. NSH 284)

 

The ultimate goal of nuclear astrophysics, as defined by W. Fowler, is to understand how nuclear processes generate the energy of stars over their lifetimes and, in doing so, synthesize heavier elements starting with the primordial hydrogen and helium produced in the Big Bang. Hundreds of nuclear reactions are involved in the reaction paths occurring in various stellar environments. Experiments performed at different laboratories during the last decades have reduced the uncertainties of many reactions. Some important reactions, however, still have large experimental uncertainties and remain among the long-standing problems in nuclear astrophysics. The ⁷Be(p,g)⁸B and ¹²C(a,g)¹⁶O reactions are two good examples for the latter situation. In this talk, I will review the status of these two reactions. Experiments with radioactive ion beams played important roles in improving the accuracy of these two important nuclear reactions.