Physics

Biography

Biography: Livius Trache

Abstract

We have learned so much about the Universe in these few first years of the 21st century that we are wondering if we are in
the midst of a revolution in physics similar to that of the first decades of the last century. Many of these discoveries of the
21st century were made by progress in observations of the macro-cosmos, looking above us with better and better tools. Others
were coming from the study of the micro-cosmos, and better and more powerful tools were essential here, too. But many of
the news from the stars above us rely on data we gather in the terrestrial laboratories. Nuclear reactions are the fuel of the stars
and the elemental abundances are fingerprints of the evolution of the Universe, but to understand these broad and well-known
statements we need the data of what we call nuclear astrophysics; or better said nuclear physics for astrophysics. These studies
are carried out in nuclear physics laboratories, large and small. The author will refer to a few of these, exemplifying with work
that the author has done with his group, or he participated to. They are carried out in large institutions around the world,
dedicated to the production and use of radioactive nuclear beams or in smaller laboratories hidden underground in order
to improve the chances of detection in cases of very poor signal/background ratio. The latter are direct nuclear astrophysics
measurements, while the former are using what we call indirect methods. Both cases involve better technologies and the
contact with industries was and remains crucial in their realization. That comes in large facilities, pushing the size and power
limits of current technologies, or in smaller sizes, insisting on better detector materials and smaller and smaller, but more and
more complex and fast electronics and data acquisition systems. The examples used will be from studies of radiative proton
capture processes and of carbon burning.