For almost three decades, the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) has provided the ideal site to pioneer measurements of key nuclear reactions for astrophysics. Shielded by the 1.4 km of rock of the Gran Sasso mountain (Italy), LUNA affords a million-fold reduction in cosmic-ray induced background compared to surface laboratories. This has made it possible – often for the...
The $^{13}\mathrm{C}(\alpha,n)^{16}\mathrm{O}$ reaction is the primary source of neutrons for the main branch of the slow neutron capture process (s-process) of stellar nucleosynthesis. Direct measurement of the $^{13}\mathrm{C}(\alpha,n)^{16}\mathrm{O}$ cross section at astrophysical energies is made difficult by low yields. Experimental measurements have constrained the cross section down to...
The $\nu$ process contributes to the production of a few rare isotopes (in particular $^{11}$B, $^{138}$La, and $^{180}$Ta) in supernova explosions via neutrino induced nuclear reactions. This process has been studied in various publications (e.g., [1, 2, 3]) and a key ingredient for the calculations is the modeling of the neutrino emission that has previously been approached in a purely...
The first radioactive capture measurement using the St. George recoil separator has been performed at the University of Notre Dame. $^{14}$N($\alpha,\gamma$)$^{18}$F is an ideal commissioning reaction for St. George because the angular and energy distributions of the recoils are well within the design acceptance limits of the separator. This reaction is of astrophysical interest since it...
A key focus of galactic astronomy is to determine and understand the formation and evolution of all nearby galaxies (including our own Milky Way)—those galaxies where we can obtain information on their individual stars. The best source of data on individual stars in galaxies is their spectra as they encode the chemical makeup of the stars and, by extension, a chemical signature of their local...
