These peer-reviewed NIC XV conference proceedings present the latest major advances in nuclear physics, astrophysics, astronomy, cosmochemistry and neutrino physics, which provide the necessary framework for a microscopic understanding of astrophysical processes. The book also discusses future directions and perspectives in the various fields of nuclear astrophysics research. In addition, it also includes a limited number of section of more general interest on double beta decay and dark matter.

Nuclear astrophysics as it stands today is a fascinating science. Even though, compared to other scientific fields, it is a young discipline which has developed only in this century, it has answered many questions concerning the under standing of our cosmos. One of these great achievements was the concept of nucleosynthesis, the creation of the elements in the early universe in interstellar matter and in stars. Nuclear astrophysics has continued, to solve many riddles of the evolution of the myriads of stars in our cosmos. This review volume attempts to provide an overview of the current status of nuclear astrophysics. Special emphasis is given to the interdisciplinary nature of the field: astronomy, nuclear physics, astrophysics and particle physics are equally involved. One basic effort of nuclear astrophysics is the collection of ob servational facts with astronomical methods. Laboratory studies of the nuclear processes involved in various astrophysical scenarios have provided fundamen tal information serving both as input for and test of astrophysical models. The theoretical understanding of nuclear reaction mechanisms is necessary, for example, to extrapolate the experimentally determined reaction rates to the thermonuclear energy range, which is relevant for the nuclear processes in our cosmos. Astrophysical models and calculations allow us to simulate how nuclear processes contribute to driving the evolution of stars, interstellar matter and the whole universe. Finally, elementary particle physics also plays an important role in the field of nuclear astrophysics, for instance through weak interaction processes involving neutrinos.

Nuclei in the Cosmos, a volume of conference papers, gathers together astronomers, astrophysicists, and nuclear physicists for a thorough discussion of nucleosynthesis, its role in the evolution of the universe, and its intriguing possibilities as a diagnostic tool for stellar interiors. Nineteen invited papers provide a solid review of nucleosynthesis topics, and approximately another 70 papers bring you up-to-date on the forefront of research in this quickly-developing area.

"The book discusses how stars generate their energy through nuclear reactions, and how elements are created in stars and during the big bang. The theory of thermonuclear reactions rates and their relevance for cosmology and stellar evolution are discussed in detail. Whenever possible, the book introduces the cosmological and astrophysical concepts necessary to understand the physics context of nuclear reactions and structure theory, thermonuclear reaction rate formalism and stellar nucleosynthesis. The book discusses the topics in a self-contained way and has several end-of-chapter exercises. It can be used as a reference book for researchers working in the field of nuclear astrophysics."--Provided by publisher.

Annotation The July 1994 symposium was an international forum in which scientists working in different research branches connected to nucleosynthesis could discuss the most recent achievements in nuclear astrophysics. The topics addressed range from laboratory work of nuclear astrophysics, especially on reaction rates, to models of nucleosynthesis in single and double stars; from measurements of abundances and isotopic anomalies in pristine meteorites to the reconstruction of the early evolutionary phases of the Solar System; and from optical and radio spectroscopic studies of the composition in stellar atmospheres and circumstellar envelopes to modeling of the global chemical evolution of galaxies. No subject index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.