Nucleosynthesis proceeds by nuclear fusion in massive stars until iron, where it stops because the fusion of still heavier nuclei requires energy instead of providing it. Heavier nuclei are created by a subtle interplay between neutron capture and ß-decay which represents the driving mechanisms allowing an increased nuclear mass and charge up to the limits imposed by the nuclear stability. This interplay determines the pathways of stellar nucleosynthesis and, thus, the abundances of atomic nuclei observed in the Universe. One of the major tasks of nuclear astrophysics consists of revealing these pathways investigating the reactions leading to the production of unstable nuclei and precisely elucidating their main features such as cross sections and ß–decay probabilities. However, a major difference exists between terrestrial and stellar conditions, the latter occurring in a hot and dense environment which affects the degree of ionization of the atoms involved in the stellar nucleosynthesis. This raises the question whether or not the high degree of ionization could induce any significant differences of the ß-decay properties with respect to neutral atoms. An even more general reason for investigating the decay properties of highly ionized ions is connected to the longstanding question: How constant are the nuclear decay constants?
Laboratory plasmas can become complementary environments to investigate nuclear decays and other plasma properties of nuclear and astrophysical relevance, impacting s- and r-process nucleosynthesis networks.
In this Research Topic we wish to discuss the problem of plasma, atomic and nuclear phenomena of fundamental and astrophysical interest, to be investigated by a novel and interdisciplinary research approach. In particular, the possibility to operate with magnetohydrodynamically stable plasmas confined in compact traps, and there monitored by multidiagnostics systems measuring online plasma density and temperature, enables the study of nuclear decays of both fundamental and astrophysical relevance. ß-radioisotopes have been probed in the past under extreme conditions of temperature (1000 °K) and Pressure (2000 atm), measuring almost negligible variations in the decay constant (<0.05%), and/or changing the surrounding chemical environment (lattice structure and electron affinity): e.g. an E.C. lifetime of 7Be has been observed to vary by around 3.5%.
With the advent of Storage Rings, a breakthrough was reached, observing almost bare nuclei decays, such as 187Re75+ ions: in this case, lifetime collapsed of 9 orders of magnitude!
Controlled plasmas now open the perspective to investigate ß-decay properties of radioactive nuclei involved in stellar nucleosynthesis directly in an environment emulating some astrophysical ionic charge state distributions: this can shed light in still debated puzzling issues concerning BBN, s-processing, CosmoChronometers, Early Solar System formation, etc.
At the same time, these plasmas are suited for opacity measurements that are relevant for Kilonovae scenarios, to support and address the study of r-process elemental abundances hours or days after the event.
The attractive opportunities require the development of suitable theoretical and experimental procedures and methodologies that will be the main topic of this Research Topic, to be framed and investigated in light of a more general approach considering the laboratory plasmas as tools for making new (and/or complementary to other ones) experiments.
Authors are welcomed to contribute to an interdisciplinary field involving microwave generated plasma physics, technology, diagnostics, modeling; nuclear physics and physics of ß-decays; nuclear astrophysics and observational astrophysics dealing with stellar nucleosynthesis issues.
We would organize the Research Topic according to the following sub-topics:
1. Physics and Technology of plasma traps for fundamental studies: the PANDORA* project;
2. ß-decay detection in plasmas: instruments and methods;
3. Nuclear and Atomic Physics of ß-decays in plasmas;
4. Astrophysics Perspectives and Impact: nucleosynthesis of elements in the Universe
Authors are encouraged to submit contributions inherent to the single subtopics, or a merging of them, concerning the overall frame (the nuclear physics problem with fundamental and astrophysical implications) or specific issues and advances in the modelling, design, operations and diagnostics of the plasma based setup.
Contributions discussing complementary approaches and further physics perspectives are also warmly welcomed.
*PANDORA is a project and collaboration supported by INFN-Italy to design, realize and operate a new plasma-based facility for nuclear-decay studies.
Nucleosynthesis proceeds by nuclear fusion in massive stars until iron, where it stops because the fusion of still heavier nuclei requires energy instead of providing it. Heavier nuclei are created by a subtle interplay between neutron capture and ß-decay which represents the driving mechanisms allowing an increased nuclear mass and charge up to the limits imposed by the nuclear stability. This interplay determines the pathways of stellar nucleosynthesis and, thus, the abundances of atomic nuclei observed in the Universe. One of the major tasks of nuclear astrophysics consists of revealing these pathways investigating the reactions leading to the production of unstable nuclei and precisely elucidating their main features such as cross sections and ß–decay probabilities. However, a major difference exists between terrestrial and stellar conditions, the latter occurring in a hot and dense environment which affects the degree of ionization of the atoms involved in the stellar nucleosynthesis. This raises the question whether or not the high degree of ionization could induce any significant differences of the ß-decay properties with respect to neutral atoms. An even more general reason for investigating the decay properties of highly ionized ions is connected to the longstanding question: How constant are the nuclear decay constants?
Laboratory plasmas can become complementary environments to investigate nuclear decays and other plasma properties of nuclear and astrophysical relevance, impacting s- and r-process nucleosynthesis networks.
In this Research Topic we wish to discuss the problem of plasma, atomic and nuclear phenomena of fundamental and astrophysical interest, to be investigated by a novel and interdisciplinary research approach. In particular, the possibility to operate with magnetohydrodynamically stable plasmas confined in compact traps, and there monitored by multidiagnostics systems measuring online plasma density and temperature, enables the study of nuclear decays of both fundamental and astrophysical relevance. ß-radioisotopes have been probed in the past under extreme conditions of temperature (1000 °K) and Pressure (2000 atm), measuring almost negligible variations in the decay constant (<0.05%), and/or changing the surrounding chemical environment (lattice structure and electron affinity): e.g. an E.C. lifetime of 7Be has been observed to vary by around 3.5%.
With the advent of Storage Rings, a breakthrough was reached, observing almost bare nuclei decays, such as 187Re75+ ions: in this case, lifetime collapsed of 9 orders of magnitude!
Controlled plasmas now open the perspective to investigate ß-decay properties of radioactive nuclei involved in stellar nucleosynthesis directly in an environment emulating some astrophysical ionic charge state distributions: this can shed light in still debated puzzling issues concerning BBN, s-processing, CosmoChronometers, Early Solar System formation, etc.
At the same time, these plasmas are suited for opacity measurements that are relevant for Kilonovae scenarios, to support and address the study of r-process elemental abundances hours or days after the event.
The attractive opportunities require the development of suitable theoretical and experimental procedures and methodologies that will be the main topic of this Research Topic, to be framed and investigated in light of a more general approach considering the laboratory plasmas as tools for making new (and/or complementary to other ones) experiments.
Authors are welcomed to contribute to an interdisciplinary field involving microwave generated plasma physics, technology, diagnostics, modeling; nuclear physics and physics of ß-decays; nuclear astrophysics and observational astrophysics dealing with stellar nucleosynthesis issues.
We would organize the Research Topic according to the following sub-topics:
1. Physics and Technology of plasma traps for fundamental studies: the PANDORA* project;
2. ß-decay detection in plasmas: instruments and methods;
3. Nuclear and Atomic Physics of ß-decays in plasmas;
4. Astrophysics Perspectives and Impact: nucleosynthesis of elements in the Universe
Authors are encouraged to submit contributions inherent to the single subtopics, or a merging of them, concerning the overall frame (the nuclear physics problem with fundamental and astrophysical implications) or specific issues and advances in the modelling, design, operations and diagnostics of the plasma based setup.
Contributions discussing complementary approaches and further physics perspectives are also warmly welcomed.
*PANDORA is a project and collaboration supported by INFN-Italy to design, realize and operate a new plasma-based facility for nuclear-decay studies.
