Frontier in Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics in Japan

Abstract

Research activities in experimental nuclear astrophysics have expanded very rapidly in the last decade widely, partly because a variety of radio-isotope (RI) beams have become available, and also various innovative experimental methods have been developed. The activities also include cross section measurements of astrophysical interest at very low energies, where the cross sections are extremely small, especially for the solar model. Several activities were reviewed, including those in Japan. They include a new underground facility at Osaka for the solar model, a high-beam suppression mass separator at Kyushu for the ¹²C(α,γ)^l6O reaction, and a new low-energy RIB separator at CNS for hydrogen burning. A brief discussion is also made for the outlook of the field, especially possibilities at the up-coming RI beam facilities like the one at RIBF at RIKEN.

Keywords:

• Hydrostatic and explosive nucleosynthesis
• RI beams
• direct and indirect methods of nuclear astrophysics