First meeting of new ISSI burst team
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In December we kicked off a new international team supported by Bern's
International Space Science Institute.
This team is focussed on reconciling experimental, observational and numerical
investigations on thermonuclear (X-ray) bursts and the nuclear reactions that
power them.
Due to the strong gravity and high temperature, these bursts probe nuclear
physics and reactions not encountered elsewhere in nature, and are also influenced by
the properties of the underlying neutron star - and hence the properties of
matter at these extreme conditions.
Our goals include identifying the key nuclear reactions which
influence the burst lightcurve; taking advantage of new rare-isotope accelerator-based experiments and satellite observations to provide stringent tests of
numerical models; identifying specific cases of ignition and burning from
observation-model comparisons; and (ultimately) providing qualitatively new constraints on the
properties of neutron stars and nuclear matter.
Although this is the third such team for me, it's the first I've led. Bern itself was once again celebrating Christmas, with the Weihnachtsmarkt in full swing, including the always popular gluhwein shack.
See the team home page for more information