research

I use big machines and computers to study how stars that blow up in space create the stuff we are made of.

The carbon in your DNA, the oxygen you are breathing, the indium in the computer screen you are using right now, they all have been forged during the lives and explosive deaths of the stars we see in the night sky. I am trying to tackle the question, “What is the origin of the chemical elements?” The rarest elements, such as gold, silver and platinum, are forged in the most violent explosions in the universe, such as supernovae and neutron star mergers. My research focuses on determining what exactly comes out of these explosive environments from an experimental, theoretical and observational perspective.

In my research in nuclear astrophysics, I strive to take a holistic approach: to begin with, I study which are the most important nuclear physics ingredients for the evolution of astrophysical environments via nucleosynthesis calculations based on state-of-the art theoretical stellar modeling. Then I delve into investigating these critical nuclear processes by conducting experiments in radioactive ion beam facilities around the world. These endeavors serve to reduce the uncertainties of the stellar models and improve our current understanding of the production of the rarest elements. Finally, I employ the latest observational data to test our theories of nucleosynthesis and plan future experiments and theoretical studies.

I am currently proposing and conducting experiments, in collaboration with other researchers, at nuclear physics facilities around the world, such as TRIUMF in Canada, RIKEN in Japan, GSI in Germany, FRIB, Argonne National Lab and TUNL in the U.S.A.

Feel free to check my publications and presentations and if you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

  Research Interests

nuclear astrophysics • radiative capture reactions with recoil separators • nuclear reaction networks • large-scale nuclear sensitivity studies • charged–particle spectroscopy • in–beam and activation γ-ray spectroscopy • experimental studies with stable and radioactive ion beams