BNL-113703-2017-JA White Paper on Nuclear Astrophysics and Low Energy Nuclear Physics Part 1: Nuclear Astrophysics Almudena Arconesa, Dan W. Bardayanb, Timothy C. Beers, Lee A. Bernstein, Jeffrey C. Blackmond, Bronson Messere, B. Alex Browng, Edward F. Browng, Carl R. Brunei, Art E. Champagne, Alessandro Chieffi, Aaron J. Couturem, Pawel Danielewicz, Roland Diehln, Mounib El-Eid, Jutta Escher, Brian D. Fields, Carla Frohlich, Falk Herwig, William Raphael Hix, Christian Iliadis, William G. Lynch, Gail C. McLaughlin, Bradley S. Meyer, Anthony Mezzacappa, Filomena Nunes, Brian W. O'Shea, Madappa Prakash, Boris Pritychenko, Sanjay Reddy, Ernst Rehm, Grigory Rogachev, Robert E. Rutledge, Hendrik Schatz, Michael S. Smith, Ingrid H. Stairs, Andrew W. Steiner, Tod E. Strohmayer, Frank X. Timmes, Dean M. Townsley, Michael Wiescher, Remco G. T. Zegers, Michael Zingale Submitted to Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics March 21, 2017 National Nuclear Data Center Brookhaven National Laboratory U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics Notice: This manuscript has been authored by employees of Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC under Contract No. DE-SC0012704 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The publisher by accepting the manuscript for publication acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. 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White Paper on Nuclear Astrophysics and Low Energy Nuclear Physics Part 1: Nuclear Astrophysics Almudena Arconesa,ag, Dan W. Bardayanb,ag, Timothy C. Beersb,ag, Lee A. Bernsteinc, Jeffrey C. Blackmond,ag, Bronson Messere,f, B. Alex Browng,h,ag, Edward F. Browng,h,ag, Carl R. Brunei,ag, Art E. Champagnej,k, Alessandro Chieffil, Aaron J. Couturem,ag, Pawel Danielewiczg,h, Roland Diehln,o,ag, Mounib El-Eidp, Jutta Escherc, Brian D. Fieldsq,ag, Carla Fr¨ohlichr,ag, Falk Herwigs,ag, William Raphael Hixf,1, Christian Iliadisj,k, William G. Lynchg,h,ag, Gail C. McLaughlinr,ag, Bradley S. Meyert, Anthony Mezzacappau,v, Filomena Nunesg,h,ag, Brian W. O'Sheah,ag, Madappa Prakashi,ag, Boris Pritychenkow, Sanjay Reddyx,ag, Ernst Rehmy,ag, Grigory Rogachevz, Robert E. Rutledgeaa,ag, Hendrik Schatzg,h,ag, Michael S. Smithf, Ingrid H. Stairsab, Andrew W. Steineru,ag, Tod E. Strohmayerac, Frank X. Timmesad,ag, Dean M. Townsleyae, Michael Wiescherb,ag, Remco G. T. Zegersg,h,ag, Michael Zingaleaf,ag aGSI Helmholtzzentrum f¨urSchwerionenforschung GmbH, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany bDepartment of Physics and JINA Center for the Evolution of the Elements, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA cLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551, USA dDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA eNational Center for Computational Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831-6008 USA fPhysics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge TN 37831-6354 USA gNational Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA hDept. of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 USA iDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA jUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255, USA kTriangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0308, USA lINAF-IAPS, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, 00133 Roma, Italy mLos Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA nMax Planck Institut f¨urextraterrestrische Physik, D-85748 Garching, Germany oExcellence Cluster Universe, D-85748 Garching, Germany pDepartment of Physics, American University of Beirut, Bliss St. 11-0236, 1107 2020 Beirut, Lebanon qDepartment of Astronomy, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA rDepartment of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202, USA sDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria BC, Canada tDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634-0978, USA uDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1200 USA vJoint Institute for Computational Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831-6173 USA wNational Nuclear Data Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973-5000, USA xInstitute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 yPhysics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne IL 60439, USA zDepartment of Physics and Astronomy and Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA aaDepartment of Physics, McGill University, 3600 rue University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A-2T8 abDept. of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada acX-ray Astrophysics Laboratory, Astrophysics Science Division, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 adSchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1504, USA aeDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0324, USA afDepartment of Physics & Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA agJoint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics Center for the Evolution of the Elements, multi-institutional 1 Contents 1 Executive Summary Nuclear Astrophysics 5 2 Scientific Challenges in Nuclear Astrophysics 8 2.1 What is the Origin of the Elements? . 8 2.1.1 Origin of the Elements - Introduction for non experts . 8 2.1.2 Origin of the Elements - Current open questions . 10 2.1.3 Origin of the Elements - Context . 10 2.1.4 Origin of the Elements - Strategic Thrust 1: The Nuclear Physics of Element Synthesis and Model Validation . 12 2.1.5 Origin of the Elements - Strategic Thrust 2: Advancing models of individual nucleosynthesis processes . 14 2.1.6 Origin of the Elements - Strategic Thrust 3: Nucleosynthesis Yield Grids . 18 2.1.7 Origin of the Elements - Strategic Thrust 4: Observations of Ele- ment Production Signatures . 19 2.1.8 Origin of the Elements - Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics 20 2.2 How do stars work? . 20 2.2.1 Stars - Introduction for non experts . 20 2.2.2 Stars - Current open questions . 21 2.2.3 Stars - Context . 21 2.2.4 Stars - Strategic Thrust 1: Constraining the rates of nuclear reac- tions in stars . 23 2.2.5 Stars - Strategic Thrust 2: Fundamental Advances in Stellar Models 23 2.2.6 Stars - Strategic Thrust 3: Nucleosynthesis as validation tool . 26 2.2.7 Stars - Strategic Thrust 4: Solar Neutrinos . 27 2.2.8 Stars - Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics . 28 2.3 How do Core-Collapse Supernovae and Long Gamma Ray Bursts Explode? 29 2.3.1 CCSNe - Introduction for non experts . 29 2.3.2 CCSNe - Current open questions . 29 2.3.3 CCSNe - Context . 30 2.3.4 CCSNe - Strategic Thrust 1: Towards adequate 3D Models . 30 2.3.5 CCSNe - Strategic Thrust 2: Improved Nuclear Physics . 32 2.3.6 CCSNe - Strategic Thrust 3: More realistic progenitor models . 32 2.3.7 CCSNe - Strategic Thrust 4: Multi-messenger observations . 33 2.3.8 CCSNe - Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics . 35 2.4 Compact Object Binary Mergers and Short GRBs . 36 2.4.1 Compact Mergers - Introduction for non experts . 36 2.4.2 Compact Mergers - Current open questions . 36 2.4.3 Compact Mergers - Context . 37 2.4.4 Compact Mergers - Strategic Thrust 1: Advanced Models . 38 2.4.5 Compact Mergers - Strategic Thrust 2: Multi-messenger observations 38 2.4.6 Compact Mergers - Impact on other areas in nuclear astrophysics . 39 Preprint submitted to Elsevier December 8, 2016 2.5 Explosions of White Dwarfs . 39 2.5.1 White Dwarf Explosions - Introduction for non experts . 39 2.5.2 White Dwarf Explosions - Open questions . 39 2.5.3 White Dwarf Explosions - Context . 41 2.5.4 White Dwarf Explosions - Strategic Thrust1: Advancing the models 42 2.5.5 White Dwarf Explosions - Strategic Thrust2: Multi-wavelength observations . 45 2.5.6 White Dwarf Explosions - Strategic Thrust3: Pinning down the nuclear physics . 46 2.5.7 White Dwarf Explosions - Impact on other areas in nuclear astro- physics . 47 2.6 Neutron Stars . 47 2.6.1 Neutron Stars - Introduction for non experts . 47 2.6.2 Neutron Stars - Current Open Questions . 48 2.6.3 Neutron Stars - Context . 49 2.6.4 Neutron Stars - Strategic Thrust 1: Observations . 53 2.6.5 Neutron Stars - Strategic Thrust 2: Physics of Bursts and Crusts . 54 2.6.6 Neutron Star Strategic Thrust 3: The nuclear matter equation of state . 57 2.6.7 Neutron Stars - Strategic Thrust 4: Comprehensive models of ac- creting neutron stars . 58 2.6.8 Neutron Stars - Impact on core-collpase supernovae, neutron star mergers, and the r-process . 58 2.7 Big Bang Nucleosynthesis . 59 2.7.1 Big Bang - Introduction for non experts . 59 2.7.2 Big Bang - Current open questions . 59 2.7.3 Big Bang - Context . 59 2.7.4 Big Bang - Strategic Thrust 1: Improving BBN models .