Description
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Short lecture (30 minutes): "Experimental studies of the $\beta$-decay properties for the r-process nucleosynthesis". Speaker: Dr. Vi Ho Phong, RIKEN Nishina Center.
Syllabus:
The rapid neutron capture process (r-process) occurs in a short time scale (~ms), and very neutron-rich (> $10^{23}$ neutrons/cm$^{3}$) environment such as merging neutron stars and massive supernovae explosion. In such conditions, the successive neutron capture process (n, γ) drives the nuclear matters to the very neutron-rich (exotic) region in the nuclear chart until the competing β decay process with sufficiently short half-life increases the proton number of the reaction chain by one unit. This makes a so-call r-process path, which terminates when the fission region is reached.
Experimental studies of β-decay process in neutron-rich nuclei are therefore crucial to understand the synthesis of elements heavier than iron in the galaxy.
In this short lecture, the experimental approach on measuring fundamental properties of the β decay process, such as β-decay half-lives and β-delayed neutron emission probability will be introduced. -
Free discussion
