Publications by authors named "Carsten Brandau"
Article Synopsis
- Radioactive nuclei that live for millions of years help us understand the Sun's formation and the nucleosynthesis happening when it was born, with lead (Pb) being a key example.
- Recent measurements of the weak decay of ionized thallium (Tl) provided a more accurate half-life, which was found to be 4.7 times longer than previously thought, thus reducing uncertainty in our calculations.
- Using these improved decay rates, researchers calculated lead yields in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, confirmed isolation times for solar material, and validated the theory that the Sun formed in a long-lived molecular cloud.
Electrons bound in highly charged heavy ions such as hydrogen-like bismuth Bi experience electromagnetic fields that are a million times stronger than in light atoms. Measuring the wavelength of light emitted and absorbed by these ions is therefore a sensitive testing ground for quantum electrodynamical (QED) effects and especially the electron-nucleus interaction under such extreme conditions. However, insufficient knowledge of the nuclear structure has prevented a rigorous test of strong-field QED.
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