[Triumf-seminars] TRIUMF Seminar today at 14:00

[postmaster@admin.triumf.ca]

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Date/Time: Fri 2004-01-16 at 14:00

Location:  Auditorium          

Speaker:   B. Fields (Dept of Astronomy, University of Illinois)

Title:     From Cosmology to Cosmic Rays: Nucleosynthesis Beyond the Stars

Abstract: Although the bulk of the elements are synthesized in stars, the lightest elements--hydrogen through boron--are not. Instead, these elements are the result of some of the highest-energy processes in the most extreme environments in nature. Hydrogen, helium, and some Li7 were forged in the first minutes of the big bang, and the very successful theory of big bang nucleosynthesis provides our earliest probe of the universe. Li6, beryllium, and boron were formed neither in stars nor in the big bang, but in high-energy cosmic ray interactions (both spallation and fusion) with the interstellar medium; the abundances of these nuclides probe the nature of cosmic rays and their history over the life of our Galaxy. We will illustrate the interrelations between these different sites of non-stellar nucleosynthesis, as well as the connections with central issues in cosmology as well as in nuclear and particle astrophysics. Finally, we will discuss key nuclear reactions whose uncertainties dominate our theoretical error budget and thus demand new and accurate measurements.

Stimulants available 15 minutes before the talk.

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Subscription information available at http://admin.triumf.ca/netdata/seminars/list


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