Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme

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HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne

HK 19: Invited Talks

HK 19.1: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 11:00–11:30, MED 00.915

Nucleosynthesis of heavy elements in explosive astrophysical environments — •Daniel Siegel — Institut für Physik, Universität Greifswald

The astrophysical origin of about half of the elements heavier than iron - those synthesized via rapid neutron capture (the r-process) - remains an open problem. Multimessenger astronomy with gravitational waves has revolutionized the way we observe the Universe and linked neutron-star mergers to r-process nucleosynthesis via emission from the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei (a kilonova). However, ample evidence ranging from first-principle arguments to observations of stellar spectra of metal-poor stars and Galactic archeology indicate that a significant if not dominant fraction of r-process nucleosynthesis should be associated with the death of massive stars. Starting from neutron-star mergers, I will discuss recent theoretical and observational developments on heavy-element formation in the death of (massive) rotating stars (collapsars, magnetorotational supernovae, and the accretion-induced collapse of white dwarfs). As new observational capabilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope yield first exquisite results, multi-messenger astronomy may soon lead to new and perhaps surprising answers to the long-standing, fundamental question of how the Universe creates its heaviest elements.

Keywords: r-process nucleosynthesis; collapsars; supernovae; nuclear astrophysics; compact objects