A key activity of the Nuclear Physics of the Dynamical Origin of the Elements (NPDOE) project in CaNPAN is the training program. Each Fall, we are seeking to fill slots for graduate students to attend CaNPAN virtual research training in nucleosynthesis calculations. This opportunity aims at nuclear physics graduate students interested in learning how to use nuclear astrophysics simulations tools, such as the NuGrid tools to analyze nucleosynthesis such as in novae, neutron star accretion disks, X-ray bursts, core collapse supernovae, and the i-process. There is also an opportunity to learn about how to use the stellar evolution code MESA, for example for nova and X-ray burst models. Students attend three virtual lectures between October 15 and November 30 and then, over a time period of up to six months, carry out a computational mini-project of their choice working in a team of other students under the guidance of the CaNPAN computational coordinator (CC) Dr. Pavel Denisenkov from the University of Victoria (UVic), Canada. The computational mini-project of the training program takes place on the Astrohub TINA (Training in Nuclear Astrophysics) Hub developed and maintained by the Computational Stellar Astrophysics group at UVic in collaboration with the NSF Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics.
Additional information
An emerging branch of nuclear astrophysics studies is the dynamic origin of the elements in stars and stellar explosions. These are regimes in which the time scale of nuclear reactions and the time scales of hydrodynamic and often turbulent mixing are similar, and where both processes need to be simultaneously included in astrophysical models. For these dynamical production sites nuclear physics data of unstable species are required, both for neutron capture and charge particle reactions. These nuclear data needs can now be addressed by new and emerging radioactive beam facilities in Canada and internationally. The main goal of CaNPAN is to provide Canadian nuclear physicists and stellar astrophysicists with computational platform and tools that will help them to collaborate on identifying key nuclear data needs in this new dynamic nuclear astrophysics regime.
Graduate students (and post-docs) from CaNPAN's IReNA collaborators can apply to attend CaNPAN online lectures and tutorials on nuclear astrophysics simulation tools and methods, and possibly be mentored through a computational mini-project. The CaNPAN CC gives online lectures for all students in October and November. The first lecture is an introduction to stellar astrophysics, the second one the introduction to the evolution of and nucleosynthesis in classical nova stars, and the third one is a detailed tutorial explaining how to work with CaNPAN computational tools on the virtual research platform Astrohub developed and operated by the UVic Computational Stellar Astrophysics Group. This session includes such topics as using Jupyter Notebooks, running nova one-zone nucleosynthesis simulations with the NuGrid code ppn for a set of nova peak temperature and density trajectories or nova multi-zone evolution and nucleosynthesis simulations with the stellar evolution code of MESA and NuGrid code mppnp, creating abundance plots, both elemental and isotopic, and reaction rate flux plots, taking new experimental results to update NuGrid nuclear physics data, and comparing new reaction rates to NuGrid (Reaclib) default rates along a nova or other trajectory. Besides the online Zoom meetings, the students are able to communicate with the CC via a specially allocated CaNPAN Mattermost channel.
At present, CaNPAN computational tools can be used to compute nova and XRB evolution with a MESA code, multi-zone post-processing nucleosynthesis for nova models and for neutron star accretion disk models, as well as to run one-zone nucleosynthesis computations for novae, XRBs, core-collapse supernova explosions, and i process. In the Fall 2022, Monte Carlo simulation tools related to nuclear reaction rate impact studies will be added to CaNPAN tools.
For references related to this information see the document Report on CaNPAN activities in 2021-2022, and please don’t hesitate to contact Pavel Denisenkov with questions.
Additional information
An emerging branch of nuclear astrophysics studies is the dynamic origin of the elements in stars and stellar explosions. These are regimes in which the time scale of nuclear reactions and the time scales of hydrodynamic and often turbulent mixing are similar, and where both processes need to be simultaneously included in astrophysical models. For these dynamical production sites nuclear physics data of unstable species are required, both for neutron capture and charge particle reactions. These nuclear data needs can now be addressed by new and emerging radioactive beam facilities in Canada and internationally. The main goal of CaNPAN is to provide Canadian nuclear physicists and stellar astrophysicists with computational platform and tools that will help them to collaborate on identifying key nuclear data needs in this new dynamic nuclear astrophysics regime.
Graduate students (and post-docs) from CaNPAN's IReNA collaborators can apply to attend CaNPAN online lectures and tutorials on nuclear astrophysics simulation tools and methods, and possibly be mentored through a computational mini-project. The CaNPAN CC gives online lectures for all students in October and November. The first lecture is an introduction to stellar astrophysics, the second one the introduction to the evolution of and nucleosynthesis in classical nova stars, and the third one is a detailed tutorial explaining how to work with CaNPAN computational tools on the virtual research platform Astrohub developed and operated by the UVic Computational Stellar Astrophysics Group. This session includes such topics as using Jupyter Notebooks, running nova one-zone nucleosynthesis simulations with the NuGrid code ppn for a set of nova peak temperature and density trajectories or nova multi-zone evolution and nucleosynthesis simulations with the stellar evolution code of MESA and NuGrid code mppnp, creating abundance plots, both elemental and isotopic, and reaction rate flux plots, taking new experimental results to update NuGrid nuclear physics data, and comparing new reaction rates to NuGrid (Reaclib) default rates along a nova or other trajectory. Besides the online Zoom meetings, the students are able to communicate with the CC via a specially allocated CaNPAN Mattermost channel.
At present, CaNPAN computational tools can be used to compute nova and XRB evolution with a MESA code, multi-zone post-processing nucleosynthesis for nova models and for neutron star accretion disk models, as well as to run one-zone nucleosynthesis computations for novae, XRBs, core-collapse supernova explosions, and i process. In the Fall 2022, Monte Carlo simulation tools related to nuclear reaction rate impact studies will be added to CaNPAN tools.
For references related to this information see the document Report on CaNPAN activities in 2021-2022, and please don’t hesitate to contact Pavel Denisenkov with questions.
CaNPAN students' research projects
2021-2022
- Amanda Edwin (PhD student at St. Mary's University supervised by Prof. Gregory Christian; Amanda used the CaNPAN nova computational tool to estimate the impact of changes in the rate of the reaction 23Mg(p,g)24Al on isotopic abundances predicted for CO and ONe novae), poster
- Nikhil Bhati (PhD student at St. Mary's University supervised by Prof. Rituparna Kanungo)
- Yukiya Saito (PhD student at the University of British Columbia and graduate research assistant at TRIUMF)
- Alex Wen (graduated BSc student Combined Honours Physics and Math at the University of British Columbia supervised by Dr. Barry Davids at TRIUMF; for his work on the impact of reaction rate uncertainties on abundances of p nuclei predicted for X-ray bursts and core-collapse supernovae, results of which are published in his BSc thesis. Alex used the CaNPAN xrb and ccsn computational tools and some ideas that he discussed with Dr. Pavel Denissenkov)
2022-2023
- Mallory Kristen Loria (PhD student at TRIUMF supervised by Dr. Cris Ruiz)
- Parth Vats (MSc student at the University of Victoria supervised by Prof. Falk Herwig)
- Kendrin Butler (MSc student at Saint Mary's University supervised by Prof. Gregory Christian)
- Stephanie Ciccone (MSc student at Guelph University supervised by Prof. Liliana Caballero and by Dr. Nicole Vassh and Dr. Iris Dillmann at TRIUMF)
- Nikhil Bhati (PhD student at St. Mary's University supervised by Prof. Rituparna Kanungo)
- Jorge Morales (PhD student at Indiana University supervised by Prof. Charles J. Horowitz)
- Ante Ravlic (PhD student at University of Zagreb, Croatia, supervised by Prof. Nils Paar)
- Tejpreet Kaur (PhD student at Panjab University, India supervised by Prof. Sandeep Sahijpal)
- Shahina Shahina (PhD student at University of Notre Dame supervised by Prof. Michael Wiescher)
- Andrea Richard (PDF at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
- Irin Sultana (PhD student at Central Michigan University supervised by Prof. Alfredo Estrade)
- Raquel Nicolás del Álamo (PhD student at University of Caen, Normandy, supervised by Prof. Francesca Gulminelli)
- Andrew Jacobs (PhD student at University of British Columbia and TRIUMF supervised by Dr. Jens Dilling)
- Guillermo Ortega-Ureta (PhD student at University of Caen, Normandy, supervised by Prof. Julien Gibelin)
2023-2024
- Stephanie Ciccone (MSc student at Guelph University supervised by Prof. Liliana Caballero and by Dr. Nicole Vassh and Dr. Iris Dillmann at TRIUMF)
- Maeve Cockshutt (MSc student supervised by Prof. Falk Herwig at the University of Victoria and by Dr. Iris Dillmann at TRIUMF)
- Sebastian Javier Vilaza Dallago (graduate student at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile supervised by Dr. Julio Chaname)
- Lauren Alexandria Harewood (graduate student at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Notre Dame, USA, supervised by Prof. Andrea Richard)
- Joshua Issa (MSc student supervised by Prof. Falk Herwig at the University of Victoria and by Dr. Iris Dillmann at TRIUMF)
- Mallory Kristen Loria (PhD student supervised by Dr. Cris Ruiz at TRIUMF and by Prof. Falk Herwig at the University of Victoria, continuing her work on CaNPAN projects)
- Dhruval Shah (4th year undergraduate student at the Department of Physics of the University of Regina supervised by Prof. Gwen Grinyer)
- Manraj Shergill (4th year undergraduate student at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of McMaster University supervised by Prof. Alan Chen