Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics in Plasma Traps

  • 3,409

    Total downloads

  • 19k

    Total views and downloads

Download PDFDownload EPUB

Submit your idea

Select the journal/section where you want your idea to be submitted:

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

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 β-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 β–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 β-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. β-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 β-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 β-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. β-decay detection in plasmas: instruments and methods;
3. Nuclear and Atomic Physics of β-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.

Keywords: ECR plasma, nuclear β-decay, nucleosinthesis, plasma diagnostics, nuclear astrophysics, s-process, r-process, plasma opacity, plasma modeling

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Participating Journals

Impact

  • 19kTopic views
  • 14kArticle views
  • 3,409Article downloads
View impact