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White Paper on Nuclear Astrophysics and Low Energy Nuclear Physics

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White Paper on Nuclear Astrophysics and Low Energy Nuclear Physics WHITE PAPER ON NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS AND LOW ENERGY NUCLEAR PHYSICS PART 1: NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS FEBRUARY 2016 NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS & LOW ENERGY NUCLEAR PHYSICS 1 Edited by: Hendrik Schatz and Michael Wiescher Layout and design: Erin O’Donnell, NSCL, Michigan State University Individual sections have been edited by the section conveners: Almudena Arcones, Dan Bardayan, Lee Bernstein, Jeffrey Blackmon, Edward Brown, Carl Brune, Art Champagne, Alessandro Chieffi, Aaron Couture, Roland Diehl, Jutta Escher, Brian Fields, Carla Froehlich, Falk Herwig, Raphael Hix, Christian Iliadis, Bill Lynch, Gail McLaughlin, Bronson Messer, Bradley Meyer, Filomena Nunes, Brian O'Shea, Madappa Prakash, Boris Pritychenko, Sanjay Reddy, Ernst Rehm, Grisha Rogachev, Bob Ruthledge, Michael Smith, Andrew Steiner, Tod Strohmayer, Frank Timmes, Remco Zegers, Mike Zingale NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS & LOW ENERGY NUCLEAR PHYSICS 2 ABSTRACT This white paper informs the nuclear astrophysics community and funding agencies about the scientific directions and priorities of the field and provides input from this community for the 2015 Nuclear Science Long Range Plan. It summarizes the outcome of the nuclear astrophysics town meeting that was held on August 21-23, 2014 in College Station at the campus of Texas A&M University in preparation of the NSAC Nuclear Science Long Range Plan. It also reflects the outcome of an earlier town meeting of the nuclear astrophysics community organized by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA) on October 9- 10, 2012 Detroit, Michigan, with the purpose of developing a vision for nuclear astrophysics in light of the recent NRC decadal surveys in nuclear physics (NP2010) and astronomy (ASTRO2010). The white paper is furthermore informed by the town meeting of the Association of Research at University Nuclear Accelerators (ARUNA) that took place at the University of Notre Dame on June 12-13, 2014. In summary we find that nuclear astrophysics is a modern and vibrant field addressing fundamental science questions at the intersection of nuclear physics and astrophysics. These questions relate to the origin of the elements, the nuclear engines that drive life and death of stars, and the properties of dense matter. A broad range of nuclear accelerator facilities, astronomical observatories, theory efforts, and computational capabilities are needed. With the developments outlined in this white paper, answers to long standing key questions are well within reach in the coming decade. NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS & LOW ENERGY NUCLEAR PHYSICS 3 Contents 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS............................................... 8 2 SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGES IN NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS ................................ 12 2.1 What Is The Origin Of The Elements? .......................................................................... 12 2.1.1 Introduction For Non-Experts ..................................................................................... 12 2.1.2 Current open questions................................................................................................... 13 2.1.3 Context .............................................................................................................................. 14 2.1.4 Origin of the Elements Strategic Thrust 1: The Nuclear Physics of Element Synthesis and Model Validation ............................................................................................. 15 2.1.5 Origin of the Elements Strategic Thrust 2: Advancing models of individual nucleosynthesis processes ........................................................................................................ 18 2.1.6 Origin of the Elements Strategic Thrust 3: Nucleosynthesis Yield Grids .......... 23 2.1.7 Origin of the Elements Strategic Thrust 4: Observations of Element Production Signatures .................................................................................................................................... 24 2.1.8 Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics ......................................................... 25 2.2 How do stars work? ........................................................................................................... 26 2.2.1 Introduction for non experts ........................................................................................ 26 2.2.2 Current open questions ................................................................................................. 26 2.2.3 Context ............................................................................................................................. 27 2.2.4 Stars Strategic Thrust 1: Constraining the rates of nuclear reactions in stars . 28 2.2.5 Stars Strategic Thrust 2: Fundamental Advances in Stellar Models .................. 29 2.2.6 Stars Strategic Thrust 3: Nucleosynthesis as validation tool ............................... 32 2.2.7 Stars Strategic Thrust 4: Solar Neutrinos ................................................................. 32 2.2.8 Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics ......................................................... 34 2.3 How do Core-Collapse Supernovae and Long Gamma Ray Bursts Explode? ...... 35 2.3.1 Introduction for non experts ........................................................................................ 35 2.3.2 Current open questions ................................................................................................. 36 2.3.3 Context .............................................................................................................................. 36 2.3.4 CCSNe Strategic Thrust 1: Towards adequate 3D Models ................................... 37 2.3.5 CCSNe Strategic Thrust 2: Improved Nuclear Physics .......................................... 38 2.3.6 CCSNe Strategic Thrust 3: More realistic progenitor models ............................. 39 2.3.7 CCSNe Strategic Thrust 4: Multi-messenger observations .................................. 39 2.3.8 Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics ......................................................... 41 2.4 Compact Object Binary Mergers and Short GRBs ..................................................... 42 2.4.1 Introduction for non experts ........................................................................................ 42 NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS & LOW ENERGY NUCLEAR PHYSICS 4 2.4.2 Current open questions ................................................................................................. 43 2.4.3 Context ............................................................................................................................ 44 2.4.4 Compact Mergers Strategic Thrust 1: Advanced Models .................................... 44 2.4.5 Compact Mergers Strategic Thrust 2: Multi-messenger observations .............. 45 2.4.6 Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics ........................................................ 45 2.5 Explosions of White Dwarfs ........................................................................................... 46 2.5.1 Introduction for non experts ........................................................................................ 46 2.5.2 Open questions ................................................................................................................ 47 2.5.3 Context.............................................................................................................................. 47 2.5.4 WD Explosions Strategic Thrust 1: Advancing the models.................................. 49 2.5.5 WD Explosions Strategic Thrust 2: Multi-wavelength observations ................ 52 2.5.6 WD Explosions Strategic Thrust 3: Pinning down the nuclear physics ........... 53 2.5.7 Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics ......................................................... 54 2.6 Neutron Stars ...................................................................................................................... 55 2.6.1 Introduction for non experts ........................................................................................ 55 2.6.2 Current Open Questions ............................................................................................... 56 2.6.3 Context ............................................................................................................................. 57 2.6.4 Neutron Star Strategic Thrust 1: Observations .........................................................61 2.6.5 Neutron Star Strategic Thrust 2: Physics of Bursts and Crusts ........................... 62 2.6.6 Neutron Star Strategic Thrust 3: The nuclear matter equation of state ............ 65 2.6.7 Neutron Star Strategic Thrust 4: Comprehensive models of accreting neutron stars ............................................................................................................................................... 66 2.6.8 Impact on core-collapse supernovae, neutron star mergers, and the r-process ........................................................................................................................................................ 67 2.7 Big Bang Nucleosynthesis ................................................................................................. 68 2.7.1 Introduction for non experts ........................................................................................ 68 2.7.2 Current open questions ................................................................................................
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