The oxygen we breathe, the iron in our blood, and almost all the other elements that make up the world around us, were formed during the lives and deaths of stars in the distant past of our Universe. Nuclear astrophysicst Dr Alison Laird brought together the physics of the very very small with the physics of the astronomical!
At the November meeting of Keighley astronomical society. Her presentation to a packed meeting was entitled.’ From the Lab to the Stars’.
By trying to understand how the tiny heart of the atom, the nucleus, can influence how stars live and die, and how galaxies evolve. By studying the way nuclei interact with each other in the laboratory, we can recreate the conditions in the centre of stars and gain insight into the processes that lead to the formation of the chemical elements. Dr Laird discussed what we know and what we don’t know about how all the elements were produced. She also described some of the recent work by the group York university, as part of the quest to understand the origin of the elements.
Dr Laid stated after her presentation “Thank you for making me feel so welcome.I really enjoyed the evening, particularly all the questions from the audience, so I’m glad the audience enjoyed it too”. I would be delighted to visit you again.