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Nuclear astrophysics: the unfinished quest for the origin of the elements
Half a century has passed since the foundation of nuclear astrophysics. Since
then, this discipline has reached its maturity. Today, nuclear astrophysics
constitutes a multidisciplinary crucible of knowledge that combines the
achievements in theoretical astrophysics, observational astronomy,
cosmochemistry and nuclear physics. New tools and developments have
revolutionized our understanding of the origin of the elements: supercomputers
have provided astrophysicists with the required computational capabilities to
study the evolution of stars in a multidimensional framework; the emergence of
high-energy astrophysics with space-borne observatories has opened new windows
to observe the Universe, from a novel panchromatic perspective; cosmochemists
have isolated tiny pieces of stardust embedded in primitive meteorites, giving
clues on the processes operating in stars as well as on the way matter
condenses to form solids; and nuclear physicists have measured reactions near
stellar energies, through the combined efforts using stable and radioactive ion
beam facilities. This review provides comprehensive insight into the nuclear
history of the Universe and related topics: starting from the Big Bang, when
the ashes from the primordial explosion were transformed to hydrogen, helium,
and few trace elements, to the rich variety of nucleosynthesis mechanisms and
sites in the Universe. Particular attention is paid to the hydrostatic
processes governing the evolution of low-mass stars, red giants and asymptotic
giant-branch stars, as well as to the explosive nucleosynthesis occurring in
core-collapse and thermonuclear supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, classical novae,
X-ray bursts, superbursts, and stellar mergers.Comment: Invited Review. Accepted for publication in "Reports on Progress in
Physics" (version with low-resolution figures