Lectures on Nuclear Astrophysics

27 Jan 2014, 09:00 → 14 Feb 2014, 19:00 Europe/Rome

Pontecorvo room (LNGS)

Alba Formicola (INFN - LNGS), Giulia Pagliaroli (LNGS), Massimo Mannarelli (INFN - LNGS)

A series of lectures on nuclear astrophysics held in the framework of the EU funded CFA - Gran Sasso Center for Astroparticle Physics (PO FSE Abruzzo 2007-2013 - Piano Operativo 2012-2013).

Lectures were given by:
Alain Coc (CSNSM, Orsay) - Lecture series 1 - from 27/01 to 31/01
Pierre Descouvemont (ULB) - Lecture series 2 - from 03/02 to 07/02
Ignazio Bombaci (Pisa University & INFN) - Lecture series 3 - from 10/02 to 14/02
Additional seminars and NuMat meeting are also listed in the timetable.
Topics: BBN, Nuclear spectroscopy and reactions: theory and applications, Pulsars/compact stars.

Monday, 27 January

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 1 - Big Bang Nucleosynthesis-Observation

Convener: Alain Coc (CSNSM Orsay)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Alain Coc (CSNSM Orsay)

Slides Coc_LNGS-1.pdf

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 Exercises

Tuesday, 28 January

09:00 → 12:00 Round table discussion

15:00 → 17:00 Seminars for PhD students

Wednesday, 29 January

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 1 - Big Bang Nucleosynthesis-Observation

Convener: Alain Coc (CSNSM Orsay)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Alain Coc (CSNSM Orsay)

Slides Coc_LNGS-2.pdf

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 Exercises

Thursday, 30 January

09:00 → 12:00 Round table discussion

14:30 → 15:30 The cosmological 7Li problem from a nuclear physics perspective

The primordial abundance of 7Li as predicted by Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) is about a factor 3 larger than what has been observed in metal-poor halo stars. We analyze the possibility that this discrepancy originates from incorrect assumptions about the nuclear reaction cross sections relevant for BBN.

Speaker: Francesco Lorenzo Villante (L'Aquila University)

Poster Poster_Villante.pdf

15:30 → 16:30 Round table discussion

Friday, 31 January

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 1 - Big Bang Nucleosynthesis-Observation

Convener: Alain Coc (CSNSM Orsay)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Alain Coc (CSNSM Orsay)

Slides Coc_LNGS-3.pdf

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 Exercises

Monday, 3 February

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 2 - Reaction theories-Structure models for light nuclei

Convener: Dr Pierre Descouvemont (Universite Libre de Bruxelles)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Pierre Descouvemont (Universite Libre de Bruxelles)

Slides Descouvemont_1.pdf

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 Exercises

Tuesday, 4 February

09:00 → 12:00 Round table discussion

15:00 → 17:00 Seminars for PhD students

Wednesday, 5 February

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 2 - Reaction theories-Structure models for light nuclei

Convener: Dr Pierre Descouvemont (Universite Libre de Bruxelles)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Pierre Descouvemont (Universite Libre de Bruxelles)

Slides Descouvemont_2.pdf

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 Exercises

Thursday, 6 February

09:00 → 12:00 Round table discussion

14:30 → 15:30 Measurement of the reactions 17O(a,n)20Ne and 17O(a,g)21Ne and their impact on the s process in massive stars

The ratio of the reaction rates of the competing channels 17O(a,g)21Ne and 17O(a ,n)20Ne determines the efficiency of 16O as a neutron poison in the s process in low metallicity rotating stars. It has a large impact on the element production, either producing elements to the mass range of A=90 in case of a significant poisoning effect or extending the mass range up to the region of A=150 if the g channel is of negligible strength. We present results of the first measurement of the reaction 17O(α,g)21Ne and an improved study of the reaction 17O(α,n)20Ne, including an independent measurement of the 17O(α,n1)20Ne channel. A simultaneous R-Matrix fit to both the n0 and the n1 channels has been performed. New reaction rates have been calculated and used as input for stellar network calculations and their impact on the s process in rotating massive stars is discussed.

Speaker: Andreas Best (INFN - LNGS)

Poster LNGS_Seminar2014Best_Wagner.pdf

15:30 → 16:30 14N(p,gamma)15O data at high energy

The 14N(p,gamma)15O reaction determines the rate of the CNO cycle because it's the slowest nuclear reaction of the cycle. For a precise cross section extrapolation to low energies one needs accurate knowledge of the excitation function over a wide range of energy. Therefore the non-resonant cross section of 14N(p,gamma)15O was studied at beam energies of 0.5 - 1.5,MeV at the 3,MV Tandetron of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. The talk presents the preliminary new data for the cross section of 14N(p,gamma)15O. With a R-matrix fit they could contribute to a more accurate extrapolation to the astro-physically relevant cross section at the Gamow-window of the reaction.

Speaker: Louis Wagner (HZDR, TU Dresden)

Poster LNGS_Seminar2014Best_Wagner.pdf

Friday, 7 February

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 2 - Reaction theories-Structure models for light nuclei

Convener: Dr Pierre Descouvemont (Universite Libre de Bruxelles)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Pierre Descouvemont (Universite Libre de Bruxelles)

Slides Descouvemont_3.pdf

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 Exercises

Monday, 10 February

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 3 - Pulsars and compact stars: experimental observations and theoretical models

Convener: Ignazio Bombaci (Pisa University)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Ignazio Bombaci (Pisa University & INFN)

Slides Slides_Bombaci_1.pdf

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 Exercises

Tuesday, 11 February

09:00 → 12:00 Round table discussion

15:00 → 17:00 Seminars for PhD students

Wednesday, 12 February

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 3 - Pulsars and compact stars: experimental observations and theoretical models

Convener: Ignazio Bombaci (Pisa University)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Ignazio Bombaci (Pisa University & INFN)

Slides Slides_Bombaci_2_3.pdf

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 NuMat Meeting - contributions TBA

Thursday, 13 February

09:00 → 12:00 Round table discussion

14:30 → 15:30 Exotic matter in neutron stars

I will discuss recent measurements of neutron stars masses and radii and their implications for the equation of state of high density matter. I will focus in particular on the possible appearance of delta resonances, hyperons and strange quark matter and the dynamics of the formation process of such "exotic" degrees of freedom. Finally, I will present neutrino diffusion simulations of the cooling of newly formed strange stars.

Speaker: Giuseppe Pagliara (Ferrara University)

15:30 → 16:30 "Strange" Neutron Stars

The high-density nuclear equation of state within the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock many-body approach is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the effects of nucleonic three-body forces, the presence of hyperons, and the joining with an eventual quark matter phase. The resulting properties of neutron stars, in particular the mass-radius relation, are determined and compared with recent observational data. It turns out that in this approach stars heavier than about 1.4 solar masses contain necessarily quark matter.

Speaker: Hans Josef Schulze (Catania University)

Slides Schulze.pdf

Friday, 14 February

09:00 → 10:45 Lecture series 3 - Pulsars and compact stars: experimental observations and theoretical models

Convener: Ignazio Bombaci (Pisa University)

09:00 Seminar

Speaker: Ignazio Bombaci (Pisa University & INFN)

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 → 13:00 Round table discussion

14:00 → 17:00 Exercises