US-Belgium Cooperative Science: Nuclear Astrophysics with Radioactive and Isomeric Beams and Targets

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This award will support joint research in nuclear astrophy- sics between two groups of U.S. and Belgian physicists. The U.S. group will be under the direction of Dr. William S. Rodney, Georgetown University. The Belgium collaborator is Dr. J. Vervier, Institute for Nuclear Physics, Louvain, Belgium. The objective of this project is to carry out a program of experiments using radioactive beams to measure cross sections important to understanding nucleosynthesis. In novae, supernovae, X-ray bursters and possibly in the early universe, the temperature and density were such that the lifetimes of some radioactive (and isomeric) nuclides were comparable with the burning times for their destruction by proton- or alpha-particle-induced nuclear reactions. In these instances, these reactions must be taken into account in developing models for stellar evolution and nucleosyn- thesis. Thus, the potential for the use of radioactive targets and/or beams is receiving increasing attention in the nuclear physics community. In this project, the series of experiments outlined represent a major step in the direction of providing the needed cross section information. The Louvain-la-Neuve coupled cyclotron facility will be able to produce the required beam intensity to carry out these experiments. There are no existing U.S. facilities capable of such radioactive beam measurements. The research will benefit from Dr. Rodney's expertise in nuclear astrophysics and the background of his research group in active nuclear experimentation. The results of this research will contribute to our understanding of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis in stars.