Speaker
Description
Nuclear astrophysics requires nuclear astronomy as it aims to understand compositional enrichment of matter in galaxies during cosmic evolution. Measuring characteristic gamma rays from nuclear transitions is among the most direct such astronomies. Yet, instrumental challenges from penetrating gamma rays and large instrumental backgrounds of such gamma-ray telescopes have constrained advances in this field, as instruments must be operated in space.
Cosmic radioactivities are by-products of nuclear fusion reactions within stars and stellar explosions, ejected into surrounding interstellar space. The decays produce characteristic gamma-rays, which have been measured by a first generation of such gamma-ray spectrometers. Among those radio-isotopes, 26Al, 60Fe, and 56Ni and 44Ti are most prominent, and have been measured in detail from different regions and sources. Short-lived 56Ni and 44Ti observations provide a diagnostic of the interiors of supernova explosions of the different types, whereas the longlived 26Al and 60Fe provide a characteristic trace of ejecta flows after immediate ejections.
We will summarize what has been learned from observations to date, and which challenges await the next generation of these instruments and missions. We then discuss the prospects of next-level science results in view of various projects in different countries.
| Category | Observation |
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