Nuclear inputs relevant to nuclear astrophysics, status and perspectives

¹ Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 226, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
² Brussels Laboratory of the Universe - BLU-ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 50 Av. Franklin Roosevelt, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
³ CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
⁴ Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, LMCE, 91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France

^* e-mail: stephane.goriely@ulb.be
^** e-mail: wouter.ryssens@ulb.be
^*** e-mail: stephane.hilaire@cea.fr
^**** e-mail: sophie.peru-desenfants@cea.fr

Published online: 14 March 2025

Abstract

Nuclear physics influences are present throughout the Universe at every scale. Over the past decades, significant efforts have been dedicated to various fields related to nucleosynthesis and stellar evolution. These include both experimental and theoretical nuclear physics, as well as ground-and space-based astronomical observations and astrophysical modeling. Despite numerous successes, major challenges and unresolved questions persist. Concerning nuclear physics, despite the remarkable efforts of experimentalists in studying unstable targets, it remains unlikely that we will be able to measure the structure and interaction properties of all astrophysically relevant nuclei in the near future. Therefore, further progress must rely on theoretical approaches. The necessary ingredients (properties of cold and hot nuclei, nuclear level densities, optical potentials, photon strength functions, fission properties, β-strength functions) should ideally be derived from global, universal and microscopic models. New progress based on mean-field models are described and their impact on nuclear reaction rates of astrophysical relevance discussed and on nucleosynthesis illustrated.