Our group has received a grant from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science program Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) for studying the role of neutron star mergers in the creation of heavy elements in the universe. The project is called Exascale Nuclear Astrophysics for FRIB (ENAF). FRIB or Facility for Rare Isotope Beams is a DOE-supported research, teaching, and training center located at Michigan State University. This collaboration comprises Principal Investigators (PIs) from six institutions: Argonne National Laboratory, North Carolina State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Penn State University, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Notre Dame.
ENAF is developing sophisticated numerical simulation codes to study the life cycle of stars, including studying the role neutrinos play in this process. The study of the interaction of neutrinos with matter, along with the phenomenon of neutrino flavor oscillations forms one of the key goals of this project. This will provide valuable insights into the behavior of neutrinos and their interactions with matter, the composition of the universe and the energy production processes in stars.