Nuclear Astrophysics

We present the details of the construction and commissioning of the Texas–Edinburgh–Catania Silicon Array (TECSA). TECSA is composed of up to 16 Micron Semiconductor Ltd. type-YY1 silicon strip detectors and associated electronics, which is designed for use in studies of nuclear astrophysics and nuclear structure with rare isotope beams. TECSA was assembled at the Texas A&M University, Cyclotron Institute and will be housed there for the next few years. The array was commissioned in a recent experiment where the d(14C,p)15C reaction at 11.7 MeV/u was measured in inverse kinematics.
The results of the measurement and a discussion of the future use of this array are presented.

Abstract
- The rate 1.0725 is found frequently between many solar planets orbital and internal distances (a constant rate)
- I suggest this rate is found because of Lorentz Contraction Phenomenon
i.e.
- There's a difference in velocities = "light velocity" between 2 motions in the solar group (even if we can't measure or notice this velocities difference)
i.e.
There's More Than One Frame In The Solar Group

This paper suggests a clear argument as following:
1. The solar group is created by light beams, but we see these light beams in different forms (as matters and distances)

2. We see the light as matter (Specifically, bright fringes produced by light coherence we see as matters, where dark fringes we see as distances)

3. We see bright fringes as matters because our mind works by light velocity (Mind Thinking Process), so the whole matter around us is found because of the human mind effect.

4. to enable us to see the sun rays, Earth has to move with light velocity relative to the sun, to create a difference in velocities = c velocity

5. So, the sun creation depends on the difference in Earth and Sun motions = c velocity.

6. That's why Lorentz contraction phenomenon is seen in the solar orbital and internal distances, specifically with the constant rate = 1.0725, (which equals 7.25%), where the sun obliquity to ecliptic (7.25 degrees).

7. means, the sun creation process contains Lorentz Phenomenon Effect on the solar orbital and internal distances (and on many other values) 
8. The Distance can be defined as "A Form Of Energy", which is proved by the moon orbit regression yearly 19 degrees (Metonic Cycle) (otherwise how distance can move?) (that supports the claim that, distances are dark fringes produced by light coherence)

This Paper Consists Of 2 Parts
1st Part    : Theory Of Matter Creation
2nd Part    : Application on the theory (the solar group creation from the light) 
 Starting From The Solar Group First Energy
 Explaining The Energy Coherence (light coherence)
 Discovering The Matter Creation
 Providing The Solar Group Motions Harmony Reasons

The golden ring to which most physicists aspire is a unified field theory that incorporates all of modern and classical physics. Some scientists and others call this a TOE or ‘theory of everything’, but it is no more than false hubris to believe that humans could possibly know and explain everything about the universe at this time. Einstein chased this goal for the last three decades of his life, basing his theoretical research on his general theory of relativity. Meanwhile, the vast majority of scientists supporting the other major accomplishment of the Second Scientific Revolution were investing all of their time and efforts to advancing the quantum theory and their quest has been extremely successful. They originally had no interest in a unified field theory. After Einstein died in 1955, his efforts were all but abandoned because of his philosophical stance against the prevalent Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum theory even though he had been one of quantum theory’s founders. During the 1970s the tables started to turn and quantum theorists became interested in unifying physics, although not from the foundational principles of relativity theory. They claimed that quantum theory was more fundamental than relativity so they began the same quest from a totally different direction despite their claims to be continuing Einstein’s quest.  Throughout the development of the ensuing standard quantum model, superstring theory and many other theoretical schemes, quantum theorists have remained resolute in their conviction that the quantum and relativity are mutually incompatible so the quantum must completely do away with and replace relativity once and for all. However, the quantum theory and relativity are not actually incompatible and, in fact, say the some of the same things about the nature of physical reality. When the similarities are fully defined and studied and the basic assumptions behind each of the theories are altered to reflect the similarities instead of the incompatibilities, only then can the point of their compatibility be determined and act as a unifying principle resulting in a completed unified field theory of the type that Einstein once sought. The development of this physical model of reality is not without irony. Not only is the quantum theory incomplete as Einstein argued in EPR, but Einstein’s general relativity is also seriously incomplete and true unification cannot be rendered complete at any level of reality until all the theoretical models being unified are themselves complete.

The Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility,
under construction in Magurele near Bucharest in Romania, will provide highintensity and high-resolution gamma ray beams that can be used to address hotly debated problems in nuclear astrophysics. For this purpose, a silicon strip detector array (named ELISSA) will be realized in a common effort by ELI-NP and Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (INFN-LNS), in order to measure excitation functions and angular distributions over a wide energy and angular range. An experimental campaign is ongoing in order to test the feasibility of the future study at ELI-NP. With  this aim, an experiment has been approved at INFN-LNS in order to measure the 19F(p,απ)16O reaction at astrophysical energies using a prototype of the ELISSA array. Moreover, an exploratory experiment to measure the 7Li(γ, 3H)4He reaction has been performed at High Intensity Gamma Source (HIγS). The good preliminary results of our tests and simulations allows us to conclude that the ELISSA detector will be very suitable for nuclear astrophysics experiments with the upcoming gamma ray beam at the ELI-NP facility.

We describe the next generation general purpose Evaluated Nuclear Data File, ENDF/B-VII.0, of recommended nuclear data for advanced nuclear science and technology applications. The library, released by the U.S. Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG) in December 2006, contains data primarily for reactions with incident neutrons, protons, and photons on almost 400 isotopes, based on experimental data and theory predictions.

Nuclear Astrophysics as a broad and diverse field of study can be viewed as a magnifier of the impact of microscopic processes on the evolution of macroscopic events. One of the primary goals in Nuclear Astrophysics is the understanding of the nucleosynthesis processes that take place in the cosmos and the simulation of the correlated stellar and explosive burning scenarios. These simulations are strongly dependent on the input from Nuclear Physics which sets the time scale for all stellar dynamic processes-from giga-years of stellar evolution to milli-seconds of stellar explosions-and provides the basis for most of the signatures that we have for the interpretation of these events-from stellar luminosities, elemental and isotopic abundances to neutrino flux from distant supernovae.

ABS1RACf: I review the implications of the Z decay measurements at LEP (and SLC) for the early universe: (a) The Z width measurements, when combined with non-accelerator data rule out GeV range Dirac neutrinos, Majorana neutrinos, and sneutrinos as WIMP dark matter, rule out most explicit "cosmions", and strongly constrain neutralinos. When combined with data from other experiments, this implies that any WIMP is likely to be heavier than 10-20 GeV, and could easily be in the 0(100 GeV-l TeV) region; (b) The limit on Nv, when combined with big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) estimates, is consistent with both baryonic and non-baryonic dark matter and allows one to probe the consistency of BBN itself; (c) direct searches for WIMPs will probably require new detectors, sensitive to spin dependent interactions on possibly heavy targets, with event rates which could be 3-4 orders of magnitude smaller than those expected at present detectors; (d) limits on the Higgs and the top quark also have an impact on possible new processes in the early universe.

1. The Main Hypothesis: The Matter Is Created From The Light 
2. The produced matter is created in motion, that means the solar planets are created in motions (regardless the motion reason)   
3. The solar group are a group of motions conveyors, So the motions of all solar planets are depended on each other
4. The solar group motions aim to create a difference in motion velocity = C between 2 points in the group.
5. i.e. The Solar Planets work as gears or conveyors group, transfer the motion from point to another point, aiming to create a difference in motion velocity = C velocity. And that's happening where the solar group motions create a difference in velocities between the Earth and Sun motions = C velocity (for that reason the sun is our source of light)
6. The solar group is A Dipole System has 2 heads (the sun and the Earth)
7. The light Production by the planets motions (i.e. by transferring of the mechanical waves into light waves), the original source of light beams energy, from which the solar planets were created, will be conserved. 
8. Because there's a difference in velocity = C between 2 points in the solar group (the sun and the Earth), we may conclude easily that, there's more than one frame in the solar group. 
9. To create a difference of velocity = C, all solar planets should revolve around the dipole line (The Sun-Earth Line) in the same direction, enabling the velocities addition process to gather all motions in the same point…
10. The Produced Solar Planets should have relationships between their Geometrical structures (if they were created from the light), so the planets are not created independent but related to each other geometrically.

An 60 Fe target for studying the 60 Fe(n, g) 61 Fe cross-section at stellar energies was prepared using radiochemical separation techniques. In total, 7.8 Â 10 15 60 Fe atoms (777 ng) were separated from a copper beam dump for the 590 MeV proton beam of the high intensity accelerator at PSI. The final target was prepared by evaporating the iron-containing aqueous solution onto a graphite backing. With this sample the keV neutron capture cross-section of 60 Fe has been measured at FZ Karlsruhe. The work is part of the ERAWAST-initiative (Exotic Radionuclides from Accelerator WAste for Science and Technology) which is aimed at extracting rare valuable radionuclides from accelerator waste by chemical means.

This lecture concentrates on nucleosynthesis processes in stellar evolution and stellar explosions, with an emphasis on the role of nuclei far from stability. A brief initial introduction is given to the physics in astrophysical plasmas which governs composition changes. We present the basic equations for thermonuclear reaction rates, nuclear reaction networks and burning processes. The required nuclear physics input is discussed for cross sections of nuclear reactions, photodisintegrations, electron and positron captures, neutrino captures, inelastic neutrino scattering, and for beta-decay half-lives. We examine the present state of uncertainties in predictions in general as well as the status of experiments far from stability. It follows a discussion of the fate of massive stars, core collapse supernova explosions (SNe II), and novae and X-ray bursts (explosive hydrogen and helium burning on accreting white dwarfs or neutron stars in binary stellar systems). We address also the production of heavy elements in the r-process up to Th, U and beyond and their possible origin from stellar explosion sites.

This paper provides an explanation for The Earth Moon Puzzles Let's remember them here again: 1. Earth Moon Distance at Perigee point =363000 km = Solar Outer Planets Diameters Total (error 1%) 2. Earth Moon Distance at Apogee point =406000 km = Solar Planets Diameters Total 3. The Distance between Perigee and Apogee = 40000km = Inner Solar Planets Diameters Total = Earth Circumference. 4. Saturn Circumference = Earth Moon Distance at total solar eclipse radius (377000 km) 5. Earth daily motion = The moon orbit circumference at apogee radius (406000 km) Why these relationships are found? Because all these distances are originated from the same source, from which all solar planets diameters are created also If all these elements (the diameters and distances) are created from the same source that will support the main concept of my research which is: "The Matter and Distance Are Created Together From the Same Energy That means The Matter is Energy (E=mc 2) The distance is Energy (my hypothesis) That means the Matter and Energy are created from the same Energy which causes the solar group general harmony Please review the planet diameter and orbital distance relationship (d=r*109 2) Mars Immigration Proves (Revised)

Heavy Ion Collisions (HIC) represent a unique tool to probe the in-medium nuclear interaction in regions away from saturation. In this report we present a selection of new reaction observables in dissipative collisions particularly sensitive to the symmetry term of the nuclear Equation of State (Iso − EoS). We will first discuss the Isospin Equilibration Dynamics. At low energies this manifests via the recently observed Dynamical Dipole Radiation, due to a collective neutron-proton oscillation with the symmetry term acting as a restoring force. At higher beam energies Iso-EoS effects will be seen in an Isospin Diffusion mechanism, via Imbalance Ratio Measurements, in particular from correlations to the total kinetic energy loss. For fragmentation reactions in central events we suggest to look at the coupling between isospin distillation and radial flow. In Neck Fragmentation reactions important Iso − EoS information can be obtained from fragment isospin content, velocity and alignement correlations.

We calculate the present expansion of our Universe endowed with relict colored objects - quarks and gluons - that survived hadronization either as isolated islands of quark-gluon "nuggets", or spread uniformly in the Universe. In the first scenario, the QNs can play the role of dark matter. In the second scenario, we demonstrate that uniform colored objects can play the role of dark energy providing the late-time accelerating expansion of the Universe.

Metal-poor stars hold the key to our understanding of the origin of the elements and the chemical evolution of the Universe. This chapter describes the process of discovery of these rare stars, the manner in which their surface abundances (produced in supernovae and other evolved stars) are determined from the analysis of their spectra, and the interpretation of their abundance patterns to elucidate questions of origin and evolution. More generally, studies of these stars contribute to other fundamental areas that include nuclear astrophysics, conditions at the earliest times, the nature of the first stars, and the formation and evolution of galaxies-including our own Milky Way. We illustrate this with results from studies of lithium formed during the Big Bang; of stars dated to within ∼1 Gyr of that event; of the most metal-poor stars, with abundance signatures very different from all other stars; and of the build-up of the elements over the first several Gyr. The combination of abundance and kinematic signatures constrains how the Milky Way formed, while recent discoveries of extremely metal-poor stars in the Milky Way's dwarf galaxy satellites constrain the hierarchical build-up of its stellar halo from small dark-matter dominated systems. We discuss two areas needing priority consideration. The first is improvement of abundance analysis techniques. While one-dimensional, Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (1D/LTE) model atmospheres provide a mature and precise formalism, proponents of more physically realistic 3D/non-LTE techniques argue that 1D/LTE results are not accurate, with systematic errors often of order ∼0.5 dex or even more in some cases. Self-consistent 3D/non-LTE analysis as a standard tool is essential for meaningful comparison between the abundances of metal-poor stars and models of chemical enrichment. The second need is for larger samples of metal-poor stars, in particular those with [Fe/H] <-4 and those at large distances (20 − 50 kpc), including the Galaxy's ultra-faint dwarf satellites. With future astronomical surveys and facilities these endeavors will become possible. This will provide new insights into small-scale details of nucleosynthesis as well as large-scale issues such as galactic formation. Subject headings: Galaxy: formation − Galaxy: halo − stars: abundances − early Universe − nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances 1.2.3. Nomenclature Chemical abundance is one of the basic parameters that define stellar populations, to which we shall return in Section 2.1. Here we define terms that we shall use in the present work. Baade (1944), in his seminal paper on the subject, defined two groups of stars, Type I and Type II, which today are referred to as Population I and

Photodisintegration reaction rates involving charged particles are of relevance to the p-process nucleosynthesis that aims at explaining the production of the stable neutron-deficient nuclides heavier than iron. In this study, the cross sections and astrophysical rates of (g,p) and (g,a) reactions for about 3000 target nuclei with 10<Z<100 ranging from stable to proton dripline nuclei are computed. To study the sensitivity of the calculations to the optical model potentials (OMPs), both the phenomenological Woods-Saxon and the microscopic folding OMPs are taken into account. The systematic comparisons show that the reaction rates, especially for the (g,a) reaction, are dramatically influenced by the OMPs. Thus the better determination of the OMP is crucial to reduce the uncertainties of the photodisintegration reaction rates involving charged particles. Meanwhile, a gamma-beam facility at ELI-NP is being developed, which will open new opportunities to experimentally study the photodisintegration reactions of astrophysics interest. Considering both the important reactions identified by the nucleosynthesis studies and the purpose of complementing the experimental results for the reactions involving p-nuclei, the measurements of six (g,p) and eight (g,a) reactions based on the gamma-beam facility at ELI-NP and the ELISSA detector for the charged particles detection are proposed, and the GEANT4 simulations are correspondingly performed. The minimum required energies of the gamma-beam to measure these reactions are estimated. It is shown that the direct measurements of these photonuclear reactions within the Gamow windows at T_9=2.5 for p-process are fairly feasible and promising at ELI-NP. The expected experimental results will be used to constrain the OMPs of the charged particles, which can eventually reduce the uncertainties of the reaction rates for the p-process nucleosynthesis.

We review theoretically well-motivated dark-matter candidates, and pathways to their discovery, in the light of recent results from collider physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. Taken in aggregate, these encourage broader thinking in regards to possible dark-matter candidatesdark-matter need not be made of "WIMPs," i.e., elementary particles with weak-scale masses and interactions. Facilities dedicated to nuclear physics are well-poised to investigate certain non-WIMP models. In parallel to this, developments in observational cosmology permit probes of the relativistic energy density at early epochs and thus provide new ways to constrain dark-matter models, provided nuclear physics inputs are sufficiently well-known. The emerging confluence of accelerator, astrophysical, and cosmological constraints permit searches for dark-matter candidates in a greater range of masses and interaction strengths than heretofore possible.

We present the results of a search for optical model potentials for use in the description of elastic scattering and transfer reactions involving stable and radioactive p-shell nuclei. This was done in connection with our program to use transfer reactions to obtain data for nuclear astrophysics, in particular for the determination of the astrophysical S17 factor for 7 Be(p, γ) 8 B using two ( 7 Be, 8 B) proton transfer reactions. Elastic scattering was measured using 7 Li, 10 B, 13 C and 14 N projectiles on 9 Be and 13 C targets at or about E/A=10 MeV/nucleon. Woods-Saxon type optical model potentials were extracted and are compared with potentials obtained from a microscopic double folding model. Several nucleon-nucleon effective interactions were used: M3Y with zero range and finite range exchange term, two density dependent versions of M3Y and the effective interaction of Jeukenne, Lejeune and Mahaux. We find that the latter one, which has an independent imaginary part, gives the best description. Furthermore, we find the renormalization constant for the real part of the folding potential to be nearly independent of the projectile-target combination at this energy and that no renormalization is needed for the imaginary part. From this analysis, we are able to eliminate an ambiguity in optical model parameters and thus better determine the Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient for 10 B→ 9 B+p. Finally we use these results to find optical model potentials for unstable nuclei with emphasis on the reliability of the description they provide for peripheral proton transfer reactions. We discuss the uncertainty introduced by the procedure in the prediction of the DWBA cross sections for the ( 7 Be, 8 B) reactions used in extracting the astrophysical factor S17(0). * proton density rms radius obtained by Tanihata et al from interaction cross sections.

Recibido el 23 de febrero de 2008 ; aceptado el 23 de abril de 2008 Accurate nuclear reaction rates are needed for primordial nucleosynthesis and hydrostatic burning in stars. The relevant reactions are extremely difficult to measure directly in the laboratory at the small astrophysical energies. In recent years direct reactions have been developed and applied to extract low-energy astrophysical S-factors. These methods require a combination of new experimental techniques and theoretical efforts, which are the subject of this presentation.

The mission concept MAX is a space borne crystal diffraction telescope, featuring a broad-band Laue lens optimized for the observation of compact sources in two wide energy bands of high astrophysical relevance. For the first time in this domain, gamma-rays will be focused from the large collecting area of a crystal diffraction lens onto a very small detector volume. As a consequence, the background noise is extremely low, making possible unprecedented sensitivities. The primary scientific objective of MAX is the study of type Ia supernovae by measuring intensities, shifts and shapes of their nuclear gamma-ray lines. When finally understood and calibrated, these profoundly radioactive events will be crucial in measuring the size, shape, and age of the Universe. Observing the radioactivities from a substantial sample of supernovae and novae will significantly improve our understanding of explosive nucleosynthesis. Moreover, the sensitive gamma-ray line spectroscopy performed with MAX is expected to clarify the nature of galactic microquasars (e + eannihilation radiation from the jets), neutrons stars and pulsars, X-ray Binaries, AGN, solar flares and, last but not least, gamma-ray afterglow from gamma-burst counterparts.

The High Intensity γ -ray Source (HIγ S) is a joint project between the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) and the Duke Free Electron Laser Laboratory (DFELL). This facility utilizes intra-cavity back-scattering of the FEL light in order to produce intense γray beams. An upgrade which allows for the production of γ -rays up to energies of about 100 MeV having total intensities in excess of 10 8 /s is essentially complete. The primary component of the upgrade is a 1.2 GeV booster-injector which makes it possible to replace lost electrons at full energy. In addition, an upgrade of the present linear undulator to a helical system has made it possible to produce nearly 100% linear and circularly polarized beams. The full system was commissioned in the early part of 2007. A nuclear physics research program using beams at energies below 50 MeV commenced in the fall of 2007. The proposed experimental program includes low-energy studies of nuclear reactions of importance in nuclear astrophysics as well as studies of nuclear structure using the technique of nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF). Few-body nuclear physics problems will also be addressed by studying photodisintegration of d, 3 He and 4 He. Future doublepolarization experiments include a study of the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Sum Rule for the deuteron and 3 He, and an extensive Compton scattering program designed to probe the internal structure of the nucleon. A major focus of these studies will be the measurement of the electric and magnetic polarizabilities as well as the spin-polarizabilities of the proton and the neutron. This review will describe the principles of operation of the upgraded facility, followed by a description of the performance which has been achieved to date, and a projection of the performance anticipated in the near future. Following this, we will review several of the research areas of nuclear physics which are accessible using this facility, and describe both the results to date and proposed experiments being developed for the future.

In stars, four hydrogen nuclei are converted into a helium nucleus in two competing nuclear fusion processes, namely the proton-proton chain (p-p chain) and the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle. For temperatures above 20 million kelvin, the CNO cycle dominates energy production, and its rate is determined by the slowest process, the 14N(p,γ)15O radiative capture reaction. This reaction proceeds through direct and resonant capture into the ground state and several excited states in 15O. High energy data for capture into each of these states can be extrapolated to stellar energies using an R-matrix fit. The results from several recent extrapolation studies are discussed. A new experiment at the LUNA (Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics) 400kV accelerator in Italy's Gran Sasso laboratory measures the total cross section of the 14N(p,γ)15O reaction with a windowless gas target and a 4π BGO summing detector, down to center of mass energies as low as 70keV. After reviewing the characteristics of the LUNA facility, the main features of this experiment are discussed, as well as astrophysical scenarios where cross section data in the energy range covered have a direct impact, without any extrapolation.

An escape-suppressed, composite high-purity germanium detector of the Clover type has been installed at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) facility, deep underground in the Gran Sasso Laboratory, Italy. The laboratory gamma-ray background of the Clover detector has been studied underground at LUNA and, for comparison, also in an overground laboratory. Spectra have been recorded both for the single segments and for the virtual detector formed by online addition of all four segments. The effect of the escape-suppression shield has been studied as well. Despite their generally higher intrinsic background, escape-suppressed detectors are found to be well suited for underground nuclear astrophysics studies. As an example for the advantage of using a composite detector deep underground, the weak ground state branching of the Ep = 223 keV resonance in the 24Mg(p,gamma)25Al reaction is determined with improved precision.

Abstract—The isotopic anomalies of some extinct radionuclides testify to the outburst of a nearby
supernova just before the collapse of the protosolar nebula, and to the fact that the supernova was Sn Ia, i.e.
the carbon-detonation supernova. A key role of spallation reactions in the formation of isotopic anomalies
in the primordial matter of the Solar System is revealed. It is conditioned by the diffusive acceleration of
particles in the explosive shock waves, which leads to the amplification of rigidity of the energy spectrum of
particles and its enrichment with heavier ions. The quantitative calculations of such isotopic anomalies of
many elements are presented. It is well-grounded that the anomalous Xe-HL in meteoritic nanodiamonds
was formed simultaneously with nanodiamonds themselves during the shock wave propagation at the Sn Ia
explosion. The possible effects of shock wave fractionation of noble gases in the atmosphere of planets are
considered. The origin of light elements Li, Be and B in spallation reactions, predicted by Fowler in the
middle of the last century, is argued. All the investigated isotopic anomalies give the evidence for the
extremely high magneto- hydrodynamics (MHD) сonditions at the initial stage of free expansion of the
explosive shock wave from Sn Ia, which can be essential in solution of the problem of origin of cosmic rays.
The specific iron-enriched matter of Sn Ia and its MHD-separation in turbulent processes must be taking
into account in the models of origin of the Solar System.

The objective of the R&D project CLAIRE was to prove the principle of a gammaray lens for nuclear astrophysics. CLAIRE's Laue diffraction lens has a diameter of 45 cm and a focal length of 277 cm; 556 germanium-silicon crystals are tuned to focus 170 keV photons onto a 1.5 cm diameter focal spot. Laboratory measurements of the individual crystals and the entire lens have been used to validate a numerical model that we use to estimate the lens performance for a source at infinity. During a stratospheric balloon flight on 2001 June 14, CLAIRE was directed at the Crab nebula by a pointing system able to stabilize the lens to within a few arcseconds of the target. In 72 min of valid pointing time, 33 photons from the Crab were detected in the 3 keV bandpass of the lens: CLAIRE's first light! The performance of CLAIRE's gamma-ray lens, namely the peak reflectivity for a polychromatic source (9 ± 1%), has been confirmed by ground data obtained on a 205 meter long test range. CLAIRE's measured performance validates the principle of a Laue lens for nuclear astrophysics, opening the way for a space-borne gamma-ray lens telescope

This arTicle has been peer-reviewed. Computing in SCienCe & engineering The authors discuss the process of building a model to study one of the fundamental problems of astrophysics: the supernova explosion of a massive star caused by its core's collapse. An explanation for this mechanism involves the interaction of material hydrodynamics and neutrino radiation.

In this report, centered on the activities within the MURST-PRIN project "Fisica teorica del nucleo e dei sistemi a più corpi" we discuss recent advances on the following items: i)neutrinos as probes of the solar interior and of other astrophysical objects; ii)neutrinos as probes of physics beyond the Standard Model of electroweak interactions; iii)the role of nuclear physics in i) and ii); iv) who is doing what within the italian network; v)future projects.

The work reported in this dissertation concern the study of kinetics, cycles and quantum mechanic processes of nuclear reactions involved in massive stars together with explosive nucleosynthesis phenomena having a key role in supernovae explosion. Four main fields are explored: physics of nuclear reaction, hydrogen burning, CNO cycles and explosive supernovae phenomena. The first chapter provide an overview of the background of the nuclear physics and of the potential approaches to the field as quantum mechanic aspects, cross section and Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. The next chapter describe the hydrogen burning processes for stars with low mass (our sun), the CNO and hot CNO cycles involved for higher mass stars and other cycles as sodium and magnesium. The third chapter review the helium burning process involved in Red Giants as result of the exhausted hydrogen fuel. A short overview of other helium processes is briefly discussed. The fourth chapter provide a summary of the accepted model of explosive burning process involved in supernovae explosion. Explosive nucleosynthesis together with heavy elements as silicon burning processes are also described.

The work of this dissertation concerns the analysis of the physical properties of 27 Stripped Envelope Supernovae (SE-SNe) using photometric and spectroscopic methods. The first chapter provides an overview of the SE-SNe key features as type classification, light curve properties, spectra profiles, and the explosion mechanisms, including a brief discussion of the possible progenitor stars involved. The second chapter describes and compares four analytical models to compute nickel mass (𝑀𝑁𝑖) and mass ejecta (𝑀𝑒𝑗) highlighting discrepancies of the Khatami’s model between the SNe light curve intensity and velocity rate values. Bolometric light curves for 27 SESNe are computed and key physical properties as nickel mass (𝑀𝑁𝑖) values are estimated and discussed. Spectra analysis including the equivalent width (𝐸𝑊) feature of the Hα and He I lines are briefly discussed, analysing the P-Cygni profile at 6200Ả of the Balmer line. Furthermore, other SE-SNe spectra features as mass ejecta (𝑀𝑒𝑗 ) are calculated analysing the H and He lines strengths and the velocity rate values. Tomographic maps of the nickel mass vs mass ejecta are also included discussing the possible progenitor star origins. The third chapter gives a brief overview of the results obtained and future work. Appendices are also included containing full details of the bolometric light curves, nickel mass (𝑀𝑁𝑖), photospheric velocities (𝑣𝑝ℎ) and the mass ejecta (𝑀𝑒𝑗) calculated values. Uncertainties and error analysis are briefly discussed.

The interior of neutron stars consists of the densest, although relatively cold, matter known in the universe. Here, baryon number densities might reach values close to ten times the nuclear saturation density. These suggest that the constituents of neutron star cores not only consist of nucleons, but also of more exotic baryons like hyperons or a phase of deconfined quarks. We discuss the consequences of such exotic particles on the gross properties and phenomenology of neutron stars. In addition, we determine the general phase structure of dense and also hot matter in the chiral parity-doublet model and confront model results with the recent constraints derived from the neutron star merger observation.

The accurate knowledge of the ¹Au(n,) reaction cross section is of great importance, since this reaction if often used as a reference in capture cross section measurements relevant to Nuclear Astrophysics, as well as for neutron flux determination in nuclear power reactors. With the aim of improving the accuracy of the neutron capture cross section on ¹Au, extensive measurements were

Neutron star mergers are among the most promising sources of gravitational waves for advanced ground-based detectors. These mergers are also expected to power bright electromagnetic signals, in the form of short gamma-ray bursts, infrared/optical transients powered by r-process nucleosynthesis in neutron-rich material ejected by the merger, and radio emission from the interaction of that ejecta with the interstellar medium. Simulations of these mergers with fully general relativistic codes are critical to understand the merger and post-merger gravitational wave signals and their neutrinos and electromagnetic counterparts. In this paper, we employ the Spectral Einstein Code (SpEC) to simulate the merger of low-mass neutron star binaries (two 1.2M neutron stars) for a set of three nuclear-theory based, finite temperature equations of state. We show that the frequency peaks of the post-merger gravitational wave signal are in good agreement with predictions obtained from recent simulations using a simpler treatment of gravity. We find, however, that only the fundamental mode of the remnant is excited for long periods of time: emission at the secondary peaks is damped on a millisecond timescale in the simulated binaries. For such low-mass systems, the remnant is a massive neutron star which, depending on the equation of state, is either permanently stable or long-lived (i.e. rapid uniform rotation is sufficient to prevent its collapse). We observe strong excitations of l = 2, m = 2 modes, both in the massive neutron star and in the form of hot, shocked tidal arms in the surrounding accretion torus. We estimate the neutrino emission of the remnant using a neutrino leakage scheme and, in one case, compare these results with a gray two-moment neutrino transport scheme. We confirm the complex geometry of the neutrino emission, also observed in previous simulations with neutrino leakage, and show explicitly the presence of important differences in the neutrino luminosity, disk composition, and outflow properties between the neutrino leakage and transport schemes.

The objective of the R&D project CLAIRE is to prove the principle of a gamma-ray lens for nuclear astrophysics. CLAIRE features a Laue diffraction lens, an actively shielded array of germanium detectors, and a balloon gondola stabilizing the gamma-ray lens to a few arcseconds. On June 14 2001, the instrument was flown on a stratospheric balloon by the French Space Agency CNES; the astrophysical target was a Òstandard candleÓ, the Crab nebula. CLAIREÕs first light consists of ~33 diffracted photons from the Crab, corresponding to a 3 σ detection. The performance of the gamma-ray lens during the balloon flight has been confirmed by ground data obtained at a 200 meter long test range. Based on the diffraction efficiencies measured with CLAIRE, the mission concept of a space borne gamma-ray lens is proposed, and its potential for nuclear astrophysics is outlined.