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The material is composed of chemical elements mainly created in the stars via nuclear reactions and networks of complex nuclear reactions. To understand these processes, we need to know the properties of the participating nuclei, such as their masses. In his doctoral dissertation in the field of nuclear physics at the University of Jyväskylä, Mr. Sc. Laetitia Canete accurately measured the atomic masses of the six element radioactive isotope. Measurement data can be used to better model different astrophysical processes.
In the JYFL Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, stable ion beams from K-130 cyclotron are used to produce nuclei useful in nuclear astrophysics by projecting them into a thin target sheet of IGISOL installation (isotope separator in line). . The radioactive isotopes produced are transported in the Penning JYFLTRAP double trap mass spectrometer where their atomic mass values are determined with a precision of about 10 ppb. During her Ph.D., Laetitia Canete measured masses of six radioactive nuclei, 25al, 30P 31Cl, 67Fe, 69Co and 70Co.
The measurements are relevant for various astrophysical problems. The production of cosmic G-rays observed at 1809 keV from 26Al can be bypassed by proton captures on 25Al. The proton capture rate, and thus the amount of rays produced at 1809 keV, is affected by the mass of 25Al. The mass of 30P is important to limit the rate of proton capture on 30P (p, g)31S controlling the production of heavier elements than sulfur in novae. The mass of 31Cl plays a role in Type I X-ray bursts and also plays an important role in understanding the fundamental properties of the nuclear force between protons and neutrons. The masses of 67Fe, 69Co and 70Co plays a role in the rapid neutron capture process, producing about half of the heavier elements than iron.
Laetitia Canete completed her MSc in Subatomic Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Lyon 1, France, in 2014. She entered the Physics Department of the University of Jyväskylä in the summer of 2014 and has started his doctoral studies in the IGISOL group of the Accelerator laboratory. from the University of Jyväskylä.
The thesis "High precision mass measurements for nuclear astrophysics" is published in the JYU series of dissertations of the University of Jyväskylä, N: o. 64.
Explore further:
New data to understand how heavier elements are made in the cosmos
More information:
High precision mass measurements for nuclear astrophysics. urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-7693-4
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