Understanding the r-process using AIDA

Around half of all heavy elements beyond Iron are produced by the rapid neutron capture process (r-process). This process occurs in explosive, neutron rich environments, although the exact astrophysical site of this is unknown. Nuclear reactions on exotic, unstable nuclei are a key feature of this process, and as such more information is needed on these nuclei to better understand the r-process. To this end, experiments are being performed to obtain half-lives and beta-delayed neutron emission probabilities of these exotic nuclei using the Advanced Implantation Detector Array (AIDA), a precise silicon strip detector array.