Nuclear Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, and Fundamental Particles

这笔赠款支持核天体物理和核物理方面的研究。核天体物理工作包括研究与放射性核素有关的核反应。其中一些反应对原始核合成很重要，因为它们决定了在大爆炸中制造比碳更重的核素的可能性。另一些则影响热CNO循环，因为它们描述了恒星燃烧过程产生能量或合成比氧气更重的核素的能力。核物理部分涉及寻找一种新型的反应机制，包括在库仑势垒附近的能量下，在模拟核之间进行共振pion转移。核物理和核天体物理研究都利用了圣母大学和利弗莫尔国家实验室的实验设备，这些设备可以通过双重散射技术研究感兴趣的放射性原子核上的反应。

This grant supports research in nuclear astrophysics and nuclear physics. The nuclear astrophysics work involves study of nuclear reactions involving radioactive nuclides. Some of these reactions are of importance to primordial nucleosynthesis, as they determine the possibility of making nuclides heavier than carbon in the big bang. Others impact the Hot CNO cycle, in that they describe the ability of that stellar burning process to generate energy or synthesize nuclides heavier than oxygen. The nuclear physics component involves a search for a new type of reaction mechanism involving resonant pion transfer between analog nuclei at energies near the coulomb barrier. Both the nuclear physics and the nuclear astrophysics studies utilize experimental facilities at Notre Dame University and at Livermore National Laboratory which allow studies of reactions on the radioactive nuclei of interest by a double scattering technique.