Exploding stars: MSU physicist earns NSF CAREER award to study stellar explosions, element formation
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Jaspreet Singh Randhawa, a Mississippi State assistant professor of physics, has received a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to support a $700,000 research project on the nuclear reactions that power stellar explosions and other extreme cosmic events.
Using advanced detection systems, researchers will gather data that has never been measured directly in a terrestrial laboratory, helping scientists understand how elements are formed and how these processes shape the universe.
“Massive stars end their lives in powerful explosions that create many of the elements we see around us today,” Randhawa said. “This project focuses on understanding the nuclear reactions that happen during those events, helping scientists understand how elements are formed and how these processes shape the universe.”
Randhawa’s five-year project “Deciphering the Nuclear Fingerprints of Stellar Explosions” uses cutting-edge practices, including radioactive beams of extremely exotic nuclei that only live for a fraction of a second to a few seconds.
The project will help scientists improve computer models used to study supernovae and neutron stars. Measurements collected through the research will provide insight into how specific elements form during stellar explosions, shed light on conditions surrounding the formation of Earth’s solar system, and help researchers interpret data from next-generation space telescopes scheduled for launch in 2027, including X-ray bursts observed across the universe.
The research will take place at leading nuclear physics facilities, including the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams in Michigan and the Nuclear Science Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
Beyond advancing fundamental science, the project will support workforce development through hands-on training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. It also includes a Physics Olympics outreach program designed to engage high school students, particularly those from rural areas, through interactive science experiences that encourage interest in STEM fields.
Randhawa’s research builds on his broader work in nuclear astrophysics, including recent findings published in The Astrophysical Journal, in which he led the first direct measurement of a key nuclear reaction occurring during explosions on neutron star surfaces. His work helps scientists better understand how heavier elements form in the universe, from the oxygen essential to life and gold used in jewelry to the materials that form planets.
For more about the College of Arts and Sciences or the Department of Physics and Astronomy, visit www.cas.msstate.edu or www.physics.msstate.edu.
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