Speaker
Description
Type I X-ray bursts and classical novae are thermonuclear explosions occurring on the surface of accreting compact objects, neutron stars and white dwarfs, in close binary systems. Interpreting their observational signatures, including light curves for X-ray bursts and elemental and isotopic abundances for classical novae, requires precise knowledge of the underlying nuclear physics. I will review recent experimental advances critical to understanding nucleosynthesis and energy production in these explosive stellar environments, with a focus on key reaction rates involving proton-capture processes and hot-CNO cycle breakout reactions on unstable nuclei. I will discuss how these reactions directly impact X-ray burst light curves and the abundance yields observed in nova ejecta.