Berlin 2014 – scientific programme

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SYSE: Symposium Fathoming Stellar Evolution with Laboratory Precision

SYSE 2: Fathoming Stellar Evolution (Part 2)

SYSE 2.1: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 16:30–17:00, DO24 1.205

Mass spectrometry of exotic nuclear species for the study of neutron stars — •David Lunney — CSNSM/IN2P3 – Université de Paris Sud, Orsay

A large fraction of stars end their lives in dramatic explosions forming ultra-compact objects with a density exceeding that of the atomic nucleus. These resulting neutron stars have a complex composition that requires a wide range of physics to model. Of particular interest is the neutron-star crust, which may contain exotic nuclear species that can be detected by astronomers.

The recent observation of a “kilonova” (an explosion larger than a nova but smaller than a supernova) has been associated with gravitational mergers involving neutron stars and hints at tantalizing evidence for the production of heavy elements from the rapid capture of abundant neutrons (the r process). Modeling the neutron star and its composition, as well as an associated r process, requires the knowledge of nuclear binding energies. These quanties are obtained by precision mass spectrometry at radioactive beam facilities.

This presentation will explain the neutron-star model and describe the ISOLTRAP spectrometer at CERN-ISOLDE that produces the mass data necessary for the neutron-star composition and r-process modeling, along with some results.