I will present two very different research topics: the sensitivity of galactic chemical evolution (GCE) to the s-process in massive stars and our experiments studying neutron halo nuclei. The former is a computational study, in which I implemented ²²Ne(α,n) reaction rates that we measured at Texas A&M cyclotron within nucleosynthesis and GCE simulations. The reaction is a critical neutron source for the s-process in the massive stars. I will present the impact of our rates on the GCE and how future experiments could reduce the remaining uncertainties. In the second part of my talk, I will discuss our new approach to constrain the halo properties, such as neutron separation energy. We have verified the method with ¹¹Be (accepted in PRL) and now move forward to more exotic halos at FRIB.

Tea and cookies are offered 30 minutes before the seminar.