Experimental Approach to Explosive Nucloeosynthesis with RI Beams

Abstract

Experimental efforts to investigate stellar reactions under high-temperature and high density conditions have been made as a major program using the RI beams from the Center for Nuclear Study (CNS) low-energy in-flight RI beam separator (CRIB) at University of Tokyo in order to understand the evolution of the universe, as well as various stellar phenomena. Specifically, two subjects of hydrogen burning are discussed here. One is a reaction study of the pp-chain and the second is of the explosive hydrogen burning, the rp-process. Some s-wave resonances have been identified by the thick target method in the crucial reaction processes in the hydrogen burning. The resonant scattering with the thick target method also succeeded in identifying inelastic resonant scattering, giving proton widths for the first excited state of the target nucleus. This provided very efficiently the reaction rate estimate for the process under high-temperature equilibrium conditions. Possibilities of the CRIB facility in near future are also briefly discussed.