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2025
2026
  • 10 October 2025
  • 2:00 EDT

Neutron-capture reaction constraints for astrophysical processes

 The synthesis of heavy elements in the cosmos has proven to be more complex than originally thought. With advancements in observational astronomy and the addition of new signals from gravitational waves and pre-solar grains, new patterns emerge that are forcing us to re-think the classic picture of heavy element nucleosynthesis. In this talk I will discuss the complex contributions of different astrophysical processes to the synthesis of heavy elements. A particular focus will be on neutron-capture processes. I will present experimental results on neutron-capture reaction rates on short-lived nuclei and discuss implications on nucleosynthesis in massive stars and other stellar environments. The experiments I will discuss took place at Argonne National Laboratory and at Michigan State University using the SuN gamma-ray calorimeter. View event
  • 10 October 2025
  • 3:00 EDT

Single Bunch Instabilities at the Fermilab Recycler Ring

 Understanding collective instabilities is essential for high-intensity operation of the Fermilab Recycler Ring. We apply the Nested Head-Tail (NHT) formalism to model single-bunch transverse instabilities with resistive-wall impedance, benchmarking growth rates and mode structures against PyHEADTAIL simulations and experimental measurements. The study also considers the influence of linear coupling and space-charge effects on instability thresholds. These results improve our understanding of naturally occurring instabilities in the Recycler and support the development of predictive tools for future high-intensity operation with PIP-II.
  • 14 October 2025
  • 11:00 EDT

From Hadrons to Quarks: Strong Interaction Matter at High Temperature

 I will discuss lattice QCD results on the properties of strong interaction matter at high temperatures. I will show to what extent the properties of this matter can be understood in terms of hadrons up to a certain temperature and how quark degrees of freedom appear as the temperature increases. In a few examples, I will discuss how lattice QCD results help to understand the matter produced in heavy-ion collisions at ultra-relativistic energies and how lattice QCD calculations support the idea of the formation of a nearly perfect fluid in such collisions. View event
  • 22 October 2025
  • 6:00 EDT

Advanced Studies Gateway talk by Eric Cornell: Looking for fossils of the Big Bang

Eric A. Cornell is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder, where he is also a professor of physics. In this talk, Cornell will discuss a new technique for researching sub-atomic particles that is analogous to fossil hunting.

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  • 23 October 2025
  • 5:30 EDT

Advanced Studies Gateway Concert by the International Chamber Soloists and Dmitri Berlinsky

Join renowned performers, International Chamber Soloists, and Dmitri Berlinsky as they perform Vivaldi's Four Seasons on October 23, 2025, in the 1300 FRIB auditorium. Berlinsky is an internationally acclaimed violinist who won the Paganini International Violin Competition and has performed with major orchestras worldwide. Based at Michigan State University, the International Chamber Soloists (ICS) is a distinguished group of young string players from around the world. Founded in 2004, it has evolved into a professional ensemble featuring MSU students and musicians from renowned institutions like the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and Juilliard.

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  • 24 October 2025
  • 2:00 EDT

Chemical evolution of neutron-capture elements: a multi-objective approach

 The origin of the heavy elements produced by neutron-capture processes remains one of the central open questions in astrophysics. Two main channels have been identified: the slow neutron-capture process (s-process), operating primarily in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars and rotating massive stars, and the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process), whose astrophysical site(s) are still debated. Additional contributions from an intermediate neutron-capture process (i-process) may further shape the observed abundance patterns, especially at low metallicity. Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) models provide a powerful framework to constrain these properties by comparing predicted and observed abundance trends of neutron-capture elements across metallicity. In particular, at later stages of Galactic evolution, when the chemical environment becomes progressively more homogeneous, the chemical pattern observed in any given star is no longer a direct imprint of a single enrichment event and homogeneous GCE models are required to disentangle the relative role of the different nucleosynthetic channels. In this talk, I will discuss both the classical GCE approach, which combines prompt and delayed stellar sources, and a more flexible, site-independent framework based on a large grid of parametric models varying key r-process parameters. By comparing model predictions with observations of light and heavy neutron-capture elements, I treat the problem as a multi-objective optimization, where each element provides an independent observational constraint. I will present both the best-fit models and the Pareto-optimal solutions, highlighting the trade-offs between different elements and the regions of parameter space most consistent with the different elemental abundance ratios. I will overall discuss the broader implications for understanding the origin of heavy elements, focusing on the frequency and delay of neutron star mergers, the need for at least one rapid early source, and the question of whether the r-process is universal across astrophysical environments. View event
  • 26 October 2025
  • 1:00 EDT

Public Talks by Katja Nowack, Cornell University
  • 9 November 2025
  • 1:00 EST

Public Talk by Sophia Economou, Virginia Tech
  • 7 December 2025
  • 1:00 EST

Public Talk by Clifford Jack, Jr.; Neuroradiology, Mayo Clinic