Intersections of Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics

Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6373, USA

Abstract

I discuss the current state of low-energy nuclear theory and the scientific questions that will be addressed over the next ten years as we move to the description of increasingly unstable nuclei. Much of our understanding of unstable nuclei will directly benefit astrophysics, particularly in the areas of supernova-core deleptonization, neutrino interactions with nuclei in stellar environments, the nuclear equation of state at high temperatures and densities, and nucleosynthesis. I will discuss the current status of our understanding of one of these overlaps, namely electron capture on nuclei. I will then turn to a description of coupled-cluster theory, which is a technique of solving the nuclear many-body problem that may be useful for calculating selected nuclear properties relevant to astrophysics.