Publications

Nuclear astrophysics and AMS - Probing nucleosynthesis in the lab

Author(s)
Anton Wallner
Abstract

Nuclear astrophysics aims at describing nuclear processes relevant to nucleosynthesis. Such reactions can be studied by performing nuclear cross-section measurements at the relevant energy regimes. Accelerator-based experiments allow simulating nucleosynthesis in the laboratory. For specific reactions accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) offers a powerful tool to measure cross-sections independent on half-lives of reaction products. It represents a complementary, off-line method compared to on-line methods, the latter being sensitive to prompt reaction signatures. An overview over recent experiments using AMS in nuclear astrophysics is given and for selected reactions the potential of AMS is exemplified: limitations and advantages of this method are illustrated for neutron-induced reactions on Be-9, C-13 and Fe-54, leading to the long-lived AMS isotopes Be-10, C-14, and Fe-55, respectively. Measurements on Fe-55 allow producing highly precise data. The potential of AMS for helping to resolve a recently observed discrepancy between observation and nucleosynthesis models relevant for our understanding of the isotopic abundances is highlighted

Organisation(s)
Isotope Physics
Pages
1277-1282
No. of pages
6
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2009.10.152
Publication date
2010
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103004 Astrophysics
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/b53c6ea0-67b7-4a12-ac06-3a8fca287fa5