Meeting of Young Astronomers and Astrophysicists - FIKUT NEXTGEN

Session

Astrochemistry and Nuclear Astrophysics

5 Nov 2026, 09:00

HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics

102. Radiation-Driven Sulphur Chemistry on the Surfaces of Jupiter's Galilean Moons: New Results from Laboratory Experiments

Duncan Mifsud (HUN-REN Atommagkutató Intézet)

05/11/2026, 09:00

The cycling of sulphur on the surfaces of Jupiter’s Galilean moons (i.e., Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) is a key process that may be directly linked to the putative habitability of these moons. This process is largely driven by ionising radiation from Jupiter’s sulphur-rich magnetosphere. Despite the astrochemical and astrobiological importance of sulphur cycling and chemistry on the...

136. Irradiation of Methanol Ices as an Analogue for Astrochemical Processes

Rodrigo Zamudio Ramírez (University of Debrecen / HUN-REN ATOMKI)

05/11/2026, 09:15

Ices are observed across the universe, including on planetary bodies, comets, within the interstellar medium (ISM), and in protoplanetary disks [1]. In these environments are subjected to a flux of UV irradiation, electron bombardment, cosmic rays bombardment, solar wind and thermal chemistry, which drive structural modifications, induce the desorption of molecules and radicals from the...

112. Uncovering the importance of (p,n) reactions in the weak r-process

Sándor Kovács (HUN-REN ATOMKI)

05/11/2026, 09:30

Nucleosynthesis above the iron region mainly proceeds via successive neutron capture processes, such as the s- and r-processes. However, in the case of neutrino-driven ejecta from a core-collapse supernova, nucleosynthesis runs relatively close to the valley of stability, hence it proceeds mainly via (α,n) and (p,n) reactions towards higher mass numbers [1]. Sensitivity studies have shown that...

141. Stellar nucleosynthesis in the laboratory: LUNA results and perspectives

Riccardo Biasissi (Università degli Studi di Padova, ATOMKI)

05/11/2026, 09:45

The energy production, chemical evolution and elemental abundances of stars are governed by thermonuclear reactions occurring at energies far below the Coulomb barrier. Measuring their cross sections is the central challenge of experimental nuclear astrophysics: at stellar energies the Coulomb repulsion suppresses the cross sections by many orders of magnitude, down to the picobarn-femtobarn...

114. Measurement of the 14N (p, γ) 15O Reaction Cross Section Using Inverse Kinematics

Gábor Bihari (HUN-REN ATOMKI)

05/11/2026, 10:00

The CNO cycle plays a paramount role in the evolution of massive stars. Above 1.3 solar masses, the CNO cycle becomes the dominant energy-generation mechanism, overtaking the role of the proton-proton chain. In the CNO cycle, carbon and nitrogen isotopes act as catalysts, helping the fusion of hydrogen into helium.
The reaction rate of the entire cycle is governed by its slowest reaction, the...

124. Silicon nucleosynthesis in classical novae: New experimental constraints on the 29Si(p,γ)30P reaction

Zsolt Mátyus (HUN-REN INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH)

05/11/2026, 10:15

Classical nova explosions contribute to the chemical enrichment of the inter-
stellar medium and are potential sources of presolar grains found in primitive
meteorites. The silicon isotopic ratios 29Si/28Si and 30Si/28Si provide im-
portant signatures for identifying the stellar origin of these grains [1, 2].
However, uncertainties in nuclear reaction rates limit our ability to...

118. Molecular transitions in supernova spectra: from quantum chemistry to astrophysics

Márton Truszek (University of Szeged)

06/11/2026, 14:00

Molecular astrophysics in supernova is gaining momentum in recent years, especially since the start of the science mission of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Applying radiative transfer theory is a key to connect these two fields of research: we can take into account molecular abundances and generate model spectra, which could allow us to deduce molecular components in the supernova...

90. Laboratory Modeling of Cosmic-Ray-Driven Chemistry in Interstellar Ice Analogs

Barbara Keresztes (ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest)

06/11/2026, 14:15

Dust grains are important components of the interstellar medium (ISM). Their surfaces are typically covered by icy mantles formed through the condensation of gas-phase species of the ISM. Upon exposure to external irradiation, such as cosmic rays, chemical reactions can be initiated within these ice layers. [1] These reactions lead to the formation of new chemical species, some of which can...

97. Radioactive isotopes as power sources in the late-time evolution of core-collapse supernova light curves

Gábor G. Balázs (Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN CSFK)

06/11/2026, 14:30

Massive stars end their hydrostatic evolution in energetic explosions known as core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), synthesizing and ejecting intermediate-mass and iron-peak isotopes into the interstellar medium. Following the initial explosion, CCSNe can be observed for several hundred days, powered primarily by the radioactive decay of newly synthesized radioactive isotopes, mainly associated...