Heidelberg Joint Astronomical Colloquium

Speaker Hendrik Schatz
Title Rare isotopes in cosmic explosions and in accelerators on Earth
Abstract Rare isotopes play a critical role in a variety of astrophysical sites. Despite their fleeting existence of often less then a second, they imprint their properties onto the chemical composition of the universe, and the properties of stellar explosions. Progress has been made recently in astronomical observations of the signatures of rare isotopes and the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. Similar progress is imminent in understanding the relevant properties of rare isotopes, owing to new accelerator facilities in the US, Europe, and Japan. I will review the important role that rare isotopes play in the cosmos and discuss some related experiments performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Facility at Michigan State University.