Using a beam of fluorine-17 thought to be too difficult to create in sufficient quantities for experiments, ORNL researchers are gaining a better understanding of what happens in stellar explosions. Precision measurements performed with fluorine-17, which lives for just a minute, help physicists understand how elements are created in X-ray bursts and nova explosions. These aren't as spectacular as supernovae, but they're far more frequent events. This experiment helps scientists place their models of stellar explosions on a firm empirical foundation. The fluorine-17 beam was generated in ORNL's Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility.
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