Frankfurt 2014 – scientific programme

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HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne

HK 16: Hauptvorträge I

HK 16.2: Invited Talk

Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 11:40–12:20, HZ 1+2

The origin of heavy elements — •Almudena Arcones — TU Darmstadt

Where in the universe are heavy elements, like gold and uranium, synthesized? How are these elements produced? These are two exciting and interdisciplinary questions in nuclear astrophysics today. The favored candidates are core-collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers where extreme conditions enable the rapid neutron capture process (r-process). Recent advance in hydrodynamic simulations with improved microphysics can be combined with observations of the oldest stars to bring new insights about the astrophysical sites of the r-process. On the experimental side of nuclear physics research, a new era for nuclear astrophysics will start with the new-generation facilities, like FAIR, which will advance the experimental frontier towards the heaviest neutron-rich isotopes. In this talk, new results on nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernova and neutron-star mergers will be discussed together with the impact that nuclear physics has on the origin of heavy elements.