Chemical Elements as Tracers of the Evolution of the Cosmos - Infrastructures for Nuclear Astrophysics

Nuclear astrophysics studies the origin of the chemical elements: from the Big Bang, to stellar burning, and to neutron star mergers. ChETEC-INFRA networks the three types of infrastructures that, together, provide the capabilities needed for this quest: astronuclear laboratories supply reaction data, supercomputer facilities perform stellar structure and nucleosynthesis computations, and telescopes and mass spectrometers collect elemental and isotopic abundance data. ChETEC-INFRA will overcome existing barriers to progress: Specifically, we will unify access to nuclear astrophysics research infrastructures using a novel integrated web portal. We will develop improved nuclear reaction targets and detectors, open-source nucleosynthesis software tools, and three-dimensional model atmospheres for stellar spectral analysis based on up to date physics. We will pioneer complementary techniques to address the same science case, and we will link telescopes to nuclear labs and supercomputers. ChETEC-INFRA provides the community with the tools needed to address key questions on solar fusion, neutron capture nucleosynthesis, and explosive stellar processes. In a combined approach designed to facilitate and boost accessibility, synergies and training, the large amount of transnational access provided will enable projects exploiting at least two different types of infrastructures. Within ChETEC-INFRA, data are archived and catalogued for long-term sustainability beyond the end of the project, ranging from evaluated nuclear reaction rates to detailed abundance data for a multitude of stars to tracer nucleosynthesis calculations. ChETEC-INFRA will reach out to PhD students, secondary school students, and to the detector industry. The ChETEC-INFRA community builds on the success of the ChETEC COST Action CA16117 (Chemical Elements as Tracers of the Evolution of the Cosmos). ChETEC-INFRA is networked with the nuclear astrophysics communities in the United States, China, and Japan.