Shell and explosive hydrogen burning

TL;DR

This review summarizes how LUNA experiments have advanced our understanding of nuclear reaction rates crucial for modeling hydrogen burning processes in stars like AGB stars and Novae, impacting predictions of element synthesis.

Contribution

It compiles and discusses recent experimental results from LUNA that refine nuclear reaction rates relevant to stellar nucleosynthesis modeling.

Findings

LUNA experiments have improved reaction rate measurements.

Refined reaction rates enhance nucleosynthesis models.

Better understanding of hydrogen burning in stars.

Abstract

The nucleosynthesis of light elements, from helium up to silicon, mainly occurs in Red Giant and Asymptotic Giant Branch stars and Novae. The relative abundances of the synthesized nuclides critically depend on the rates of the nuclear processes involved, often through non-trivial reaction chains, combined with complex mixing mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the contributions made by LUNA experiments in furthering our understanding of nuclear reaction rates necessary for modeling nucleosynthesis in AGB stars and Novae explosions.