Nuclear astrophysics

Nuclear reactions power our Sun, and they create the chemical elements that are necessary for human life. We study radiative-capture reactions that are important for astrophysics, in precision experiments:

• In Dresden using ion beams⁽¹⁾ at the surface of the Earth,

• at LUNA⁽²⁾ deep underground in the Gran Sasso/Italy,

• collaborating at the R³B⁽³⁾ experiment at GSI/FAIR, and

• in the Felsenkeller⁽⁴⁾ shallow underground laboratory. Together with TU Dresden we have installed a high-current 5MV accelerator there.

This page shows our ongoing projects and a brief motivation. For more details on the astrophysics, please see our review papers on LUNA⁽⁵⁾ and on the nuclear physics of the Sun⁽⁶⁾. Some possible topics for Master's and Bachelor's theses are listed here⁽⁷⁾. Further detailed information is linked through the web page you are reading now!

Felsenkeller underground accelerator

Access and beamtime application: Beamtime at the Felsenkeller accelerator is available through Transnational Access via ChETEC-INFRA⁽¹³⁾.

Information about the application can be found here⁽¹⁴⁾. Also, feel free to contact us⁽¹⁵⁾.

Big Bang nucleosynthesis studied at LUNA: The ²H(p,γ)³He and ²H(α,γ)⁶Li reactions

PhD project Klaus Stöckel (2016-2019, DFG BE 4100/4-1), PhD thesis Michael Anders (2009-2013, DFG BE 4100/2-1, thesis⁽¹⁶⁾)

Motivation: The motivation is driven by recent astronomical observations, on the isotopes 2H and 6Li. The stable nuclide 2H is the first product of Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), in the very first few minutes of the universe. Its yield is strongly dependent on the main 2H destruction reaction, 2H(p,γ)3He. Recent and much more precise 2H observations suggest that BBN may, for the first time in two decades, constrain the cosmic baryon-to-photon number on a similar level of precision as the cosmic microwave background data from the PLANCK mission. Reports of primordial 6Li observations spawned a precise study of the main 6Li producer, 2H(α,γ)6Li. 6Li experiment at LUNA: The cross section for the main 6Li producing reaction, 2H(α,γ)6Li, was studied for the first time in the Big Bang energy window. The data suggest no significant BBN 6Li yield. The initial astronomical 6Li observations that had motivated the 6Li experiment at LUNA study have since been disputed by their own authors, in agreement with our findings. Eur. Phys. J. A 2013(17) Anders et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2014(18) Anders et al. Astropart. Phys. 2017(19) Trezzi et al. 2H experiment at LUNA: The limiting uncertainty for the BBN 2H prediction is the rate of the main 2H destruction reaction, 2H(p,γ)3He. It is currently under study at LUNA, using a windowless deuterium gas target. Two HPGe and a BGO detector are used in two separate phases to detect the γ ray from the reaction (PhD thesis of Klaus Stöckel). Nature 2020(20) Mossa et al. 2H experiment at HZDR: The higher energy range not accessible at LUNA is under study at the HZDR 3 MV Tandetron (Master's thesis of Sebastian Hammer).

People

• Prof. Dr. Daniel Bemmerer⁽²¹⁾ (Group leader)
• Dr. rer. nat. Konrad Schmidt⁽²²⁾ (Staff Scientist)
• Dr. rer. nat. Axel Boeltzig⁽²³⁾ (ChETEC-INFRA project manager)
• Dr. Eliana Masha⁽²⁴⁾ (Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow)
• M.Sc. Anup Yadav⁽²⁵⁾ (PhD student)
• M.Sc. Peter Hempel (ChETEC-INFRA PhD student)
• Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Bernd Rimarzig (Accelerator engineer)

Collaborations

• LUNA⁽²⁶⁾ collaboration at Gran Sasso / Italy 
• R³B⁽²⁷⁾ collaboration at GSI/FAIR
• COST action 16117⁽²⁸⁾ CheTEC "Chemical Elements as Tracers of the Evolution of the Cosmos"
• ChETEC-INFRA⁽²⁹⁾ (Chemical Elements as Tracers of the Evolution of the Cosmos – Infrastructures for Nuclear Astrophysics), European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101008324

Collaborating institutes

• TU Dresden: K. Zuber
• VKTA Dresden (low-level γ-counting in Felsenkeller shallow-underground laboratory)
• ATOMKI, Debrecen/Hungary: Zs. Fülöp, Gy. Gyürky, T. Szücs, L. Csedreki
• INFN Padua/Italy: C. Broggini, A. Caciolli, R. Menegazzo, R. Depalo
• INFN Torino/Italy: F. Cavanna
• INFN Genova/Italy: P. Prati, S. Zavatarelli
• INFN Gran Sasso/Italy: F. Ferraro
• INFN Roma/Italy: A. Formicola, C. Gustavino

Financial support

• DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: BE 4100/4-1 (2017-2020): LUNA ²H(p,γ)³He, BE 4100/2-1 (2009-2014): LUNA ²H(α,γ)⁶Li and Tandetron ⁴⁰Ca(α,γ)⁴⁴Ti
• Helmholtz Impulse and Networking Fund (2017-2019): ERC Recognition Award
• Helmholtz Impulse and Networking Fund (2011-2016): Partner in NAVI⁽³⁰⁾ (Nuclear Astrophysics Virtual Institute)
• DAAD German Academic Exchange Service (2015-2016): Two six-month fellowships for Dr. Francesca Cavanna and Dr. Rosanna Depalo
• INFN Italy (2009-2014): Fondo Affari Internazionali, travel support to visit Gran Sasso
• TU Dresden Graduate Academy (2014-2017): 4-month scholarships to finalize the PhD theses for Konrad Schmidt, Marcell Takács, and Louis Wagner

Further information

• Recent papers⁽³¹⁾ and talks⁽³²⁾ (links to HZDR library).
• List of completed, ongoing, and possible future PhD, Diploma, Master's, and Bachelor's theses⁽³³⁾.
• History page⁽³⁴⁾, showing past and recently finished projects and alumni.
• Felsenkeller Pelletron technical page⁽³⁵⁾ (local access only).

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Contact

Prof. Dr. Daniel Bemmerer

Group lea­der Nuclear Astrophysics, Technical Director Felsenkeller accelerator
Nuclear Physics
d.bemmererhzdr.de
Phone: +49 351 260 3581
+49 351 260 3901
Fax: +49 351 260 13581

Key publications

• Nature (2020) LUNA ⁽³⁶⁾
• Physical Review D (2020) Felsenkeller⁽³⁷⁾
• European Physical Journal A (2019) Felsenkeller⁽³⁸⁾
• Astroparticle Physics (2019) Felsenkeller⁽³⁹⁾
• Physical Review Letters (2018) LUNA⁽⁴⁰⁾
• Europhysics Letters (2018) LUNA⁽⁴¹⁾
• Solar Neutrino Proceedings (2018) Felsenkeller⁽⁴²⁾
• Physical Review C (2018) Tandetron⁽⁴³⁾
• Progress in Nuclear and Particle Physics (2018) LUNA⁽⁴⁴⁾
• Nature Astronomy (2017) LUNA⁽⁴⁵⁾
• Physical Review C (2016) R³B⁽⁴⁶⁾
• Physical Review Letters (2015) LUNA⁽⁴⁷⁾
• European Physical Journal A (2015) Felsenkeller⁽⁴⁸⁾
• Physical Review Letters (2014) LUNA⁽⁴⁹⁾

Selected further publications

• Physics Letters B (2019) LUNA⁽⁵⁰⁾
• Physical Review Letters (2018) R³B⁽⁵¹⁾
• Physical Review Letters (2018) R³B⁽⁵²⁾
• Nuclear Physics A (2018) data mining⁽⁵³⁾
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2017) LUNA⁽⁵⁴⁾
• Astroparticle Physics (2017) LUNA⁽⁵⁵⁾
• Nucl. Inst. Meth. B (2016) Tandetron⁽⁵⁶⁾
• Physical Review C (2015) ELBE⁽⁵⁷⁾
• Physical Review D (2015) data mining⁽⁵⁸⁾
• Physical Review C (2014) Tandetron⁽⁵⁹⁾
• Reviews of Modern Physics (2011)⁽⁶⁰⁾

Collaborations

⁽⁶¹⁾

Chemical Elements as Tracers of the Evolution of the Cosmos – Infrastructures for Nuclear Astrophysics (ChETEC-INFRA), European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101008324

⁽⁶²⁾

COST action CA16117 ChETEC "Chemical Elements as Tracers of the Evolution of the Cosmos"

⁽⁶³⁾

⁽⁶⁴⁾

URL of this article
https://www.hzdr.de/db/Cms?pOid=24937

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