UNC-CH Physics and Astronomy PhD Defense Presentation

Lori Downen

“The Study of 29Si(p,γ)30P and Its Impact on Classical Nova Nucleosynthesis”

Classical novae are stellar explosions occurring in binary systems consisting of a white dwarf and a main sequence partner. Thermonuclear runaways, occurring after the accretion of matter from the main sequence star onto the surface of the white dwarf, eject nuclear processed material into the interstellar medium and significantly contribute to the galactic chemical evolution. However, open questions about the effect of reaction rate uncertainty compromise our understanding of novae.

To this end, nova nucleosynthesis simulations were performed to explore the effect of reaction rate uncertainty on the final abundances of ejected matter. These results, when compared to the elemental abundances from spectroscopic observations and the isotopic ratios of presolar grain measurements, revealed the critical importance of several reactions including 29Si(p,γ)30P, which was chosen as the focus of my work.

In this talk, I will detail the experimental efforts to carry out the 29Si(p,γ)30P study at the Laboratory for Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics followed by a presentation of the results and impact of this work.