Eur. Phys. J. A (2006) 27: 97-106
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2006-08-014-9

Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics II

Recent astrophysical studies with exotic beams at ORNL

Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 37831, Oak Ridge, TN, USA

Received: 17 June 2005
Accepted: 20 December 2005
Published online: 28 February 2006

Abstract

The availability of exotic beams has produced great opportunities for advances in our understanding of the nucleosynthesis occurring in stellar burning and stellar explosions such as novae, X-ray bursts, and supernovae. In these extreme environments, synthesized radioactive nuclei can undergo subsequent nuclear processing before they decay, and thus to understand these events, we must understand reaction rates involving radioactive nuclei. At the ORNL Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF), we have made a number of measurements using proton-rich beams such as ¹⁸F and ⁷Be and neutron-rich beams such as ⁸²Ge and ⁸⁴Se that help clarify the structure of astrophysically-important nuclei. We are also poised to begin studies with doubly-magic ¹³²Sn. The experimental methods and results are discussed.