Los Alamos National Science Center (Film 2)
Unveiling the mystery of nuclear reactions during a supernova – creating and probing the nuclear proprites of Nickel-56 experimentally at LANSCE
The LANSCE team includes a diverse array of scientists all seeking to solve problems ranging from the fundamental to the applied. To understand the how heavy elements are produced in supernova explosions, a team was pulled together that took advantage of several capabilities unique to LANL. Together, the group successfully performed this high-hazard experiment as a multi disciplinary effort by thorough and redundant engineering design, high precision fabrication, careful scale-up practices, and multi-layer communication/management. The effort utilized a number of scientific facilities including the Isotope Production Facility, the LANSCE accelerator, the Hot Cell Facility, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to accomplish this complex work. The information gained in this experiment will eventually contribute to our understanding of how elements are created in supernovae.