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Recent Outcomes and Future Challenges in Nuclear Astrophysics

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A special issue of Universe (ISSN 2218-1997). This special issue belongs to the section "Solar and Stellar Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 10390

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giovanni Francesco Ciani

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Guest Editor

Physics Department, University of Bari & INFN BA, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: nuclear physics; detectors; rare events physics

Dr. David Rapagnani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Physics, University of Naples, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: nuclear astrophysics; particles detectors; recoil mass separators

Dr. Eliana Masha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

HZDR - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
Interests: nuclear astrophysics; particles detectors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As progress in nuclear astrophysics is continuously being achieved, the ﬁeld has entered a broad multi-disciplinary phase.

In recent years, several new facilities have been built on the Earth’s surface and underground, and new experimental techniques have been developed.

All these achievements, together with observations and theory, lead to great improvements in our understanding of several astrophysical scenarios, such as the Big Bang Nucleosythesis, stellar evolution and novae explosions.

Nevertheless, several topics are not yet fully understood: we still do not know the origin of the discrepancy between lithium isotope abundance in old stars, with respect to the values predicted by theory, or how some of the heavy elements are produced. Several crucial nuclear reactions are still unknown in the corresponding stellar energies of interest, or their determination is not precise enough to constrain the models. These, along with several other open questions, require further investigations.

In this Special Issue, we would like to overview the status of nuclear astrophysics and how this subject interfaces with other research ﬁelds, such as astroparticle physics, gamma-ray astronomy, cosmology, isotopic abundances in meteorites or the detection of gravitational waves.

Both reviews and original content will be considered for this Special Issue.

Dr. Giovanni Francesco Ciani
Dr. David Rapagnani
Dr. Eliana Masha
Guest Editors

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Keywords

nuclear astrophysics
astroparticle physics
experimental techniques
BBN
stellar evolution
stellar explosion
observational astronomy

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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29 pages, 22860 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laboratory Magnetoplasmas as Stellar-like Environment for ⁷Be β-Decay Investigations Within the PANDORA Project

by Eugenia Naselli, Bharat Mishra, Angelo Pidatella, Alessio Galatà, Giorgio S. Mauro, Domenico Santonocito, Giuseppe Torrisi and David Mascali

Universe 2025, 11(6), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe11060195 - 18 Jun 2025

Viewed by 279

Abstract

Laboratory magnetoplasmas can become an intriguing experimental environment for fundamental studies relevant to nuclear astrophysics processes. Theoretical predictions indicate that the ionization state of isotopes within the plasma can significantly alter their lifetimes, potentially due to nuclear and atomic mechanisms such as bound-state β-decay. However, only limited experimental evidence on this phenomenon has been collected. PANDORA (Plasmas for Astrophysics, Nuclear Decay Observations, and Radiation for Archaeometry) is a novel facility which proposes to investigate nuclear decays in high-energy-density plasmas mimicking some properties of stellar nucleosynthesis sites (Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, s-process nucleosynthesis, role of CosmoChronometers, etc.). This paper focuses on the case of ⁷Be electron capture (EC) decay into ⁷Li, since its in-plasma decay rate has garnered considerable attention, particularly concerning the unresolved Cosmological Lithium Problem and solar neutrino physics. Numerical simulations were conducted to assess the feasibility of this possible lifetime measurement in the plasma of PANDORA. Both the ionization and atomic excitation of the ⁷Be isotopes in a He buffer Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma within PANDORA were explored via numerical modelling in a kind of “virtual experiment” providing the expected in-plasma EC decay rate. Since the decay of ⁷Be provides γ-rays at 477.6 keV from the ⁷Li excited state, Monte-Carlo GEANT4 simulations were performed to determine the γ-detection efficiency by the HPGe detectors array of the PANDORA setup. Finally, the sensitivity of the measurement was evaluated through a virtual experimental run, starting from the simulated plasma-dependent γ-rate maps. These results indicate that laboratory ECR plasmas in compact traps provide suitable environments for β-decay studies of ⁷Be, with the estimated duration of experimental runs required to reach 3σ significance level being few hours, which prospectively makes PANDORA a powerful tool to investigate the decay rate under different thermodynamic conditions and related charge state distributions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Outcomes and Future Challenges in Nuclear Astrophysics)

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14 pages, 409 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Newly Measured Nuclear Reaction Rates on ²⁶Al Ejected Yields from Massive Stars

by Umberto Battino, Lorenzo Roberti, Thomas V. Lawson, Alison M. Laird and Lewis Todd

Universe 2024, 10(5), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe10050204 - 1 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1605

Abstract

Over the last three years, the rates of all the main nuclear reactions involving the destruction and production of ²⁶Al in stars (²⁶Al(n, p)²⁶Mg, ²⁶Al(n, α)²³Na, ²⁶Al(p [...] Read more.

Over the last three years, the rates of all the main nuclear reactions involving the destruction and production of ²⁶Al in stars (²⁶Al(n, p)²⁶Mg, ²⁶Al(n, α)²³Na, ²⁶Al(p, γ)²⁷Si and ²⁵Mg(p, γ)²⁶Al) have been re-evaluated thanks to new high-precision experimental measurements of their crosssections at energies of astrophysical interest, considerably reducing the uncertainties in the nuclear physics affecting their nucleosynthesis. We computed the nucleosynthetic yields ejected by the explosion of a high-mass star (20 M_⊙, Z = 0.0134) using the FRANEC stellar code, considering two explosion energies, 1.2 × 10⁵¹ erg and 3 × 10⁵¹ erg. We quantify the change in the ejected amount of ²⁶Al and other key species that is predicted when the new rate selection is adopted instead of the reaction rates from the STARLIB nuclear library. Additionally, the ratio of our ejected yields of ²⁶Al to those of 14 other short-lived radionuclides (³⁶Cl, ⁴¹Ca, ⁵³Mn, ⁶⁰Fe, ⁹²Nb, ⁹⁷Tc, ⁹⁸Tc, ¹⁰⁷Pd, ¹²⁶Sn, ¹²⁹I, ³⁶Cs, ¹⁴⁶Sm, ¹⁸²Hf, ²⁰⁵Pb) are compared to early solar system isotopic ratios, inferred from meteorite measurements. The total ejected ²⁶Al yields vary by a factor of ~3 when adopting the new rates or the STARLIB rates. Additionally, the new nuclear reaction rates also impact the predicted abundances of short-lived radionuclides in the early solar system relative to ²⁶Al. However, it is not possible to reproduce all the short-lived radionuclide isotopic ratios with our massive star model alone, unless a second stellar source could be invoked, which must have been active in polluting the pristine solar nebula at a similar time of a core-collapse supernova. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Outcomes and Future Challenges in Nuclear Astrophysics)

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Review

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15 pages, 1888 KiB

Open AccessReview

Direct and Indirect Measurements of the ¹⁹F(p,α)¹⁶O Reaction at Astrophysical Energies Using the LHASA Detector and the Trojan Horse Method

by Giovanni L. Guardo, Giuseppe G. Rapisarda, Dimiter L. Balabanski, Giuseppe D’Agata, Alessia Di Pietro, Pierpaolo Figuera, Marco La Cognata, Marco La Commara, Livio Lamia, Dario Lattuada, Catalin Matei, Marco Mazzocco, Alessandro A. Oliva, Sara Palmerini, Teodora Petruse, Rosario G. Pizzone, Stefano Romano, Maria Letizia Sergi, Roberta Spartá, Xuedou Su, Aurora Tumino and Nikola Vukman Show full author list Hide full author list

Universe 2024, 10(7), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe10070304 - 22 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1203

Abstract

Fluorine is one of the most interesting elements in nuclear astrophysics. Its abundance can provide important hints to constrain the stellar models since fluorine production and destruction are strictly connected to the physical conditions inside the stars. The

{}^{19}F

(p,α)¹⁶O [...] Read more.

{}^{19}F

(p,α)¹⁶O reaction is one of the fluorine burning processes and the correction evaluation of its reaction rate is of pivotal importance to evaluate the fluorine abundance. Moreover, the

{}^{19}F

(p,α)¹⁶O reaction rate can have an impact for the production of calcium in the first-generation of Population III stars. Here, we present the AsFiN collaboration efforts to the study of the

{}^{19}F

(p,

α

)¹⁶O reaction by means of direct and indirect measurements. On the direct measurements side, an experimental campaign aimed to the measurement of the

{}^{19}F

(p,

α_{0, π}

)¹⁶O reaction is ongoing, taking advantage of the new versatile arrays of silicon strip detectors, LHASA and ELISSA. Moreover, the Trojan Horse Method (THM) was used to determine the

{}^{19}F

(p,

α_{0}

)¹⁶O reaction S(E)-factor in the energy range of astrophysical interest (

E_{c m}

≈ 0–1 MeV), showing, for the first time, the presence of resonant structures within the astrophysical energy range. THM has been also applied for the study of the

{}^{19}F

(p,

α_{π}

)¹⁶O reaction; data analysis is ongoing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Outcomes and Future Challenges in Nuclear Astrophysics)

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11 pages, 5168 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

X17: Status and Perspectives

by Carlo Gustavino

Universe 2024, 10(7), 285; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe10070285 - 29 Jun 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1258

Abstract

Recently, a group directed by A. J. Krasznahorkay observed an anomaly in the emission of electron–positron pairs in three different nuclear reactions, namely, the

^{3}

H(p,e

^{-}

^{+}

)

^{4}

He,

^{7}

Li(p,e

^{-}

e [...] Read more.

Recently, a group directed by A. J. Krasznahorkay observed an anomaly in the emission of electron–positron pairs in three different nuclear reactions, namely, the

^{3}

H(p,e

^{-}

^{+}

)

^{4}

He,

^{7}

Li(p,e

^{-}

^{+}

)

^{8}

Be, and

^{11}

B(p,e

^{-}

^{+}

)

^{12}

C processes. Kinematics indicate that this anomaly might be due to the de-excitation of

^{4}

He,

^{8}

Be, and

^{12}

C nuclei with the emission of a boson with a mass of about 17 MeV, rapidly decaying into e

^{-}

^{+}

pairs. The result of the experiments performed with the singletron accelerator of ATOMKI is reviewed, and the consequences of the so-called X17 boson in particle physics and in cosmology are discussed. Forthcoming experiments designed to shed light on the possible existence of the X17 boson are also reported. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Outcomes and Future Challenges in Nuclear Astrophysics)

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18 pages, 12433 KiB

Open AccessReview

Detectors and Shieldings: Past and Future at LUNA

by Chemseddine Ananna, Lucia Barbieri, Axel Boeltzig, Matteo Campostrini, Fausto Casaburo, Alessandro Compagnucci, Laszlo Csedreki, Riccardo Maria Gesue, Jordan Marsh, Daniela Mercogliano, Denise Piatti, Duncan Robb, Ragandeep Singh Sidhu and Jakub Skowronski

Universe 2024, 10(5), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe10050228 - 20 May 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1603

Abstract

Nuclear reactions are responsible for the chemical evolution of stars, galaxies and the Universe. Unfortunately, at temperatures of interest for nuclear astrophysics, the cross-sections of the thermonuclear reactions are in the pico- femto-barn range and thus measuring them in the laboratory is extremely challenging. In this framework, major steps forward were made with the advent of underground nuclear astrophysics, pioneered by the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA). The cosmic background reduction by several orders of magnitude obtained at LUNA, however, needs to be combined with high-performance detectors and dedicated shieldings to obtain the required sensitivity. In the present paper, we report on the recent and future detector-shielding designs at LUNA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Outcomes and Future Challenges in Nuclear Astrophysics)

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30 pages, 1088 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

The Physics of Core-Collapse Supernovae: Explosion Mechanism and Explosive Nucleosynthesis

by Luca Boccioli and Lorenzo Roberti

Universe 2024, 10(3), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe10030148 - 19 Mar 2024

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3411

Abstract

Recent developments in multi-dimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae have considerably improved our understanding of this complex phenomenon. In addition to that, one-dimensional (1D) studies have been employed to study the explosion mechanism and its causal connection to the pre-collapse structure of the star, as well as to explore the vast parameter space of supernovae. Nonetheless, many uncertainties still affect the late stages of the evolution of massive stars, their collapse, and the subsequent shock propagation. In this review, we will briefly summarize the state-of-the-art of both 1D and 3D simulations and how they can be employed to study the evolution of massive stars, supernova explosions, and shock propagation, focusing on the uncertainties that affect each of these phases. Finally, we will illustrate the typical nucleosynthesis products that emerge from the explosion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Outcomes and Future Challenges in Nuclear Astrophysics)

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