Our collaboration aims to study the astrophysical events responsible for the production of many of the heaviest of the chemical elements using simulations containing the most complete physics available. This complexity will require these simulations run on the world's most advanced supercomputers.
Essential input for these simulations comes from nuclear laboratories, like the Facility of Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), which reveal the properties of the nuclei made in these events. In turn, the understanding of the thermodynamical conditions within these events that is revealed by the simulations helps to guide experiments at these nuclear laboratories.
Binary star systems lose energy due to gravitational radiation, causing their orbits to shrink. For binary systems consisting of neutron stars and/or black holes, this can lead to the merger of the neutron stars, which is accompanied by a violent explosion.
Learn more about merging neutron stars.The atoms that make up your body and our world were formed billions of years ago, far across the Galaxy. The events that ENAF studies are repsonsible for forging many of the heaviest elements, like silver, gold and uranium.
Learn more about your atoms.The ENAF collaboration is developing some of the most advanced simulation codes to study the lives and deaths of stars. Our codes combine General Relativity, Hydrodynamics, Radiation Transport with detailed nuclear physics.
Learn more about ENAF codes.Neutrinos play a critical role in the events that ENAF studies. Experiments have revealed that the flavor of the neutrino (electron-type, muon-type or tauon-type) can change as the neutrino moves and interacts. Understanding how the changing flavor of the neutrinos affects the astrophysical events is a key goal for ENAF.
Learn more about neutino flavors.It is important that we present ENAF science to both our scientific colleagues and the general public.
Selected highlightsAttacking puzzles as complex as these in nuclear astrophysics requires a wide range of expertise. Our collaboration therefore includes a range of institutions, both National Laboratories and Universities.