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Meeting ID: 852 6990 9362 Password: 459004
It is one of the fundamental questions of astrophysics to understand the cosmic origin and evolution of the chemical elements. The heaviest elements in the cosmos, such as gold or platinum, are formed by captures of neutrons on pre-existing “seed-nuclei”. While the fundamental principles of such neutron captures were understood since a long time, the astrophysical explosion(s) in which this actually happens has been a matter of fierce debates for more than half a century. This talk will explain how our understanding of the origin of the heaviest elements has evolved over time, starting from the first ideas to our current understanding.
Stephan Rosswog is Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Hamburg, Germany. He earned his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from the University of Basel in 1998, where he also completed his undergraduate studies in Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy. Stephan Rosswog’s research focuses on computational astrophysics, with particular interest in compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes, relativistic astrophysics, nucleosynthesis, and gravitational wave sources. He is an expert in numerical simulations of neutron star mergers, magnetohydrodynamics, and the physics of dense matter. His work has contributed significantly to our understanding of the astrophysical sites of heavy element formation and the multi-messenger signatures of cosmic collisions.
