| Abstrakt: |
Since its birth roughly 60 years ago, the field of nuclear astrophysics has strived to provide a comprehensive description of element synthesis in the Universe. While some of the astrophysical processes responsible for stellar nucleosynthesis are well understood, others remained elusive for decades. One of the major open questions in the field centered on the production of elements heavier than iron. An important breakthrough happened in 2017 when gravitational wave and electromagnetic observatories around the world and in space detected for the first time the merging of two neutron stars and the subsequent production of heavy elements. The puzzle, however, is far from solved. Interpreting the observations requires understanding the nuclear processes that drive these events. My work focuses on the measurement of critical nuclear properties needed to explain neutron-star mergers and other astrophysical observations. In this article, I discuss recent experiments performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University, as well as new initiatives and plans to undertake work at the next-generation rare isotope facility, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
