A large portion of elements surrounding us are produced in fusion reactions in stars. However, elements heavier than iron require more complex processes taking place in a variety of astrophysical environments to be produced. Modeling these processes requires knowledge on properties of the nuclides taking part in the reactions, such as atomic mass. In his doctoral thesis in the field of nuclear physics at the University of Jyvaskyla Markus Vilén has measured the atomic masses of 27 isotopes heavier than iron and three long-lived excited nuclear states. Out of them 16 masses were measured for the first time.
Click here for original story, A dissertation brought new hi-precision mass measurements for atomic masses of isotopes heavier than iron
Source: Phys.org