Nuclear Astrophysics Studied by Neutrons

Heavier elements than iron are synthesized by neutron capture reactions in stars, either by the slow neutron capture process or the rapid neutron capture process. Due to the recent observational and theoretical progress in the study of stellar nucleosynthesis and Big-Bang nulceosynthesis, much interest has arisen regarding experimental study of the neutron capture reaction of a nucleus. This report briefly describes the recent progress mentioned above, the experimental study aimed at measuring the neutron capture cross sections of a nucleus, and future plans to further extend the activity of nuclear astrophysics using neutrons.