The 5th RIKEN - CNS Nuclear Physics Colloquium
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Lecturer :  Prof. Karlheinz Langanke 
            (Aarhus University, Denmark)
Title    :  Supernova and Nuclear Physics
                               * The talk will be given in English.

Date     :  December 11 (Tue.), 2001, 16:30 -
Place    :  Nishina Hall, Nishina Memorial Bldg. 2F., RIKEN (Wako)

Abstract : 
The understanding of where and how the elements and their relative
abundance - as we observe them in the universe - are being made, is a
longstanding quest. Science has come a long way in the last decades and
a general picture has emerged tracing nucleosynthesis back to the Big
Bang and stars. Despite the complexity of the problem, the recently
achieved agreement between models of the galactical chemical evolution
and observation is quite astonishing.

Although the general picture is rather satisfying, quite a few open
problems remain. Considerable interest now focusses on the physics of
core-collapse (type II) supernovae, which play a twofold role in the
synthesis of elements. At first, nuclides made inside a massive star
during its hydrostatic burning stages are ejected into space during the
explosion. Secondly, some nuclides are even made within a supernova by
explosive burning and by neutrino-spallation in the outer shells of the
star. Type II  supernovae might also be the site of the rapid neutron
capture process by which half of the elements heavier than iron are
made.

Unfortunately computer simulations of spherical
core-collapse supernovae currently
do not give successful explosions. It is not at all clear whether this
is due to insufficient description of the microphysics involved or
whether supernova explosions are genuine 3-dimensional events and cannot
be described by the current spherical models.
The talk will review some recent progress and open questions related
with important nuclear input in supernova simulations.

   >>> Some refreshments will be available in front of the hall. <<<
   >>>       You can discuss physics over them from 16:00.       <<<
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        Contact persons of Nuclear Physics Colloquium
           A. Kohama and T. Otsuka 
        (e-mail) kohama@rarfaxp.riken.go.jp 
	(Tel)    048-462-1111 ext.3183
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