Speaker
Rebecca Surman
(University of Notre Dame)
Description
Observables of rapid neutron capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis such as abundance patterns and light curves are shaped by both the nuclear physics and astrophysics of candidate sites. Thanks to the current generation of radioactive ion facilities, the ground state properties and even the reaction rates of the very neutron-rich, unstable species that participate in the r-process are within reach. Here we describe work to exploit these capabilities to extract characteristics of r-process astrophysical sites from abundance patterns. We further speculate on what, once the r-process site or sites have been definitively identified and characterized, we might learn about nuclear physics from r-process observables.
| Contribution category | Theory |
|---|---|
| Presenter status | Faculty/Staff |
Author
Rebecca Surman
(University of Notre Dame)