https://indico.gsi.de/category/170/events.atomIndico Feed [GSI-FAIR Colloquium]2024-03-28T20:24:58.306353+00:00python-feedgenhttps://indico.gsi.de/event/19414/From Giants and Pygmies – Atomic Nuclei in the Photon Bath2024-04-23T14:15:00+00:00<p><span style="color: #000000;">All matter in our universe was and is constantly bombarded by photons spanning a range of energies, from the lowest to the highest. Photons with high energies can lead to photoexcitation and photodisintegration of atomic nuclei. Today, the majority of photons originate from heated objects, emitting a Planck photon bath with a continuous energy distribution. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Typically, only photons within the energy regime of hundreds of keV to MeV can induce nuclear reactions. These photons are, for example, responsible for the elemental abundance peak in the iron and play a major role in the r and p processes of nucleosynthesis in explosive stellar environments. Photons in the MeV range are very penetrating. This characteristic is crucial for various applications. Examples include irradiation of cells in tumor therapy, the screening of cargo containers for homeland security measures, or the identification of contraband.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Understanding how atomic nuclei near and far from the valley of stability interact with photons requires a combination of very different experimental approaches. In my talk, I will try to build a bridge between historical experiments and recent developments in the field.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>https://indico.gsi.de/event/19541/Observational Evidence of r-process Enrichment in the Galaxy2024-06-04T14:15:00+00:00<p><span><span>The r-process can be observationally traced in different ways, either directly by finding and following transient events like kilonovae, or indirectly studying meteorites or low-mass stars as these generally preserve the chemical composition they were born with. This makes them excellent r-process tracers and the r-process is responsible for forming half of the known heavy elements. Analysing spectra of old, low-mass stars provides chemical detail of r-process elements over a long time reaching from the descendants of the first stars up until today. In this talk, I will highlight possible bonafide second generation stars, their chemical peculiarities, and following trace the evolution of the r-process and possible sites (compact mergers vs rare supernovae) in the grand scheme of Galactic chemical evolution.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>https://indico.gsi.de/event/19601/Demonstrating Fusion Ignition in the Laboratory for the First Time2024-06-25T14:15:00+00:00<p><span><span><span><span><span>At approximately 1 am on December 5th, 2022, a fusion experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved, for the first time, a target gain exceeding 1. By imploding a small capsule containing deuterium-tritium fuel with 2.05 MJ of laser light, the resulting fusion reactions released a total energy of 3.15 MJ of nuclear fusion yield, thus exceeding the initial input energy. This was the first time for a laboratory experiment to meet the 1997 definition by the National Academy of Sciences of fusion ignition, an accomplishment six decades in the making. It is the result of focused work by an international team, spanning multiple laboratories across the world, and required significant advances in high-energy-density physics, as well as laser, target, and diagnostics capabilities. This talk will discuss this momentous result, the steps that went into achieving it, and the implications of this achievement for Inertial Fusion Energy.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>