SCIENTIFIC EDUCATIONAL CENTER science idea

One of the most important unresolved issues of modern science is the determination of the sources of origin of some of the chemical elements heavier than iron. This applies to about 30 elements with so-called "p-nuclei", which account for about one percent of the total number of heavy elements in the Solar System, but whose astrophysical origin remains a mystery. Due to the fact that, for a number of understandable reasons, scientists currently do not have the opportunity to directly observe the processes occurring during supernova explosions, the only way to unravel this mystery is a series of experiments in laboratories, calculations of theoretical models, etc.
One of these experiments was the research conducted by scientists from the Nuclear Physics Group, Surrey, UK, and the TRIUMF National Laboratory, Canada. Using a beam of highly accelerated nuclei of radioactive atoms, they managed to reproduce in the depths of their laboratory installation some nuclear reactions that occur naturally during a supernova explosion.
The aim of the experiment was to measure the rate of synthesis of certain p-nuclei, strontium-84 nuclei during the so-called gamma process. The experimental setup consisted of a source of raw material, a beam of high-energy atomic nuclei, several powerful gamma radiation sources that served as an energy pump, and an electrostatic separator that allowed separating and determining the number of nuclei of various elements formed during the gamma process.
By regulating the energy of the supplied atomic nuclei, the energy of gamma rays and other conditions in the core of the experimental installation, scientists were able to achieve maximum similarity of the gamma process in the installation to the process occurring during a supernova explosion. At the same time, it was found out that the rate of nuclear reactions of the gamma process actually turned out to be significantly lower than the value predicted by theoretical models. And the number of strontium-84 nuclei formed exceeds the theoretical value, which can explain the discovery of a large amount of this element in the material of some meteorites and asteroids, which will also help scientists shed light on some other astrophysical processes.
"A few years ago, such experiments were beyond the capabilities of modern technologies," the researchers write — "But the rapid processes of technology development make the impossible possible and open up huge prospects for us in the very near future."
The article was published in the journal Physical Review Letters
PHOTO: The experiment was carried out using the EMMA recoil spectrometer in combination with the TIGRESS gamma antenna array at the TRIUMF National Laboratory © University of Surrey
Source: dailytechinfo.org , sci-dig.ru