Piano

All naturally occurring chemical elements - apart from the primordial H, He, and Li abundances produced in the Big Bang - were and still are synthesized in stars. A clear and quantitative picture of nucleosynthesis in the different stages of stellar evolution constitutes the basis for our understanding of the chemical history of the Universe. In this respect the heavy elements are particularly important because their production can be described by detailed astrophysical models of evolved stars and of Supernovae. Due to the yet uncertain stellar-physics ingredients in these models (e.g. the effects of mixing, rotation, and magnetic fields), the validity of these ingredients must be checked by comparing the predicted abundance distributions with the immense wealth of observational data that are presently collected with ever refined astronomical techniques. The information obtained in this way depends critically on the quality of the underlying nuclear physics data because the model predictions are otherwise obscured by nuclear uncertainties.

The Helmholtz-University Young Investigators Group "PIANO" will be focused on establishing a program for accurate measurements of key nuclear reactions in the fields of stellar and explosive nucleosynthesis. Since the nuclear-physics part of the problem is still far from being fully understood, the program will concentrate on the necessary improvements for characterizing the production processes of the elements to the point where the respective abundance patterns can be interpreted as diagnostic tools for the deep stellar interior. The program covers pioneering work related to explosive nucleosynthesis in Supernovae and to stellar decay rates important to nucleosynthesis in Red Giant stars.

More information on the Piano Website.