Recent models for evolved low-mass stars (with M ≲ 3 M ⊙), undergoing the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase assume that magnetic flux-tube buoyancy drives the formation of 13C reservoirs in He-rich layers. We illustrate their crucial properties, showing how the low abundance of 13C generated below the convective envelope hampers the formation of primary 14N and the ensuing synthesis of intermediate-mass nuclei, like 19F and 22Ne. In the mentioned models, their production is therefore of a purely secondary nature. Shortage of primary 22Ne has also important effects in reducing the neutron density. Another property concerns AGB winds, which are likely to preserve C-rich subcomponents, isolated by magnetic tension, even when the envelope composition is O-rich. Conditions for the formation of C-rich compounds are therefore found in stages earlier than previously envisaged. These issues, together with the uncertainties related to several nuclear physics quantities, are discussed in the light of the isotopic admixtures of s-process elements in presolar SiC grains of stellar origin, which provide important and precise constraints to the otherwise uncertain parameters. By comparing nucleosynthesis results with measured SiC data, it is argued that such a detailed series of constraints indicates the need for new measurements of weak-interaction rates in ionized plasmas, as well as of neutron-capture cross sections, especially near the N = 50 and N = 82 neutron magic numbers. Nonetheless, the peculiarity of our models allows us to achieve fits to the presolar grain data of a quality so far never obtained in previously published attempts.

Experiments have recently demonstrated that kinetic instabilities occurring in magnetoplasma are huge limiting factors to the flux of highly charged ion beams extracted from ECR ion sources. Recently, it has been shown that the two-frequency-heating (TFH) mode has the proven potential to mitigate these instabilities. Since the fundamental physical mechanism of TFH is still unclear, a deeper experimental investigation is necessary. At ATOMKI-Debrecen, the effect on the kinetic instabilities of an argon plasma in a 'two-close-frequency heating' scheme has been explored for the first time by using a frequency gap smaller than 1 GHz (i.e. operating in the so-called twoclosed-frequency heating mode). A special multi-diagnostics setup has been designed and implemented. In this paper, we will show the data collected by a two-pin, plasma-chamber immersed antenna connected to an RF detector diode and/or to a spectrum analyzer for the detection of plasma radio-self-emission when varying the pumping frequency in single versus double frequency heating mode. Data have been collected simultaneously to the beam extraction and for different frequency gaps and relative power balances. The turbulent regime of the plasma has been tentatively described in a quantitative way, according to the properties of the plasma self-emitted RF spectrum. The measurements show that plasma self-emitted radiation emerges from the internal ECR region everytime (i.e. below the lower pumping frequency) but the almost total instability damping can be effective for some specific combinations of frequency-gap and power balance, thus eventually improving the plasma confinement. Keywords: electron cyclotron resonance ion source, plasma diagnostics, kinetic plasma instability 'scaling laws' [1]. More recently, this approach has become more difficult because of the technological limits. A deeper knowledge of plasma parameters (electron density, temperature and charge state distribution (CSD)) is thus fundamental: the characteristics of the extracted beam (in terms of current intensity and production of high charge states) are directly connected to plasma parameters and structure. Several experiments have, in fact, demonstrated that plasma instabilities limit the flux of highly charged ions extracted from ECR ion sources, causing beam ripple [2][3][4]. The

A: Magnetized plasmas in compact trap may become experimental environments for the investigation of nuclear β-decays of astrophysical interest. In the framework of the project PANDORA (Plasmas for Astrophysics, Nuclear Decays Observation and Radiation for Archaeometry) the research activities are devoted to demonstrate the feasibility of an experiment aiming at correlating radionuclides lifetimes to the in-plasma ions charge state distribution (CSD). The paper describes the multidiagnostics setup now available at INFN-LNS, which allows unprecedented investigations of magnetoplasma properties in terms of density, temperature and CSD. The developed setup includes an interfero-polarimeter for total plasma density measurements, a multi-X-ray detectors system for X-ray spectroscopy (including time resolved spectroscopy), a X-ray pin-hole camera for high-resolution 2D space resolved spectroscopy and different spectrometers for the plasma-emitted visible light characterization. A description of recent results about plasma parameters characterization in quiescent and turbulent Electron Cyclotron Resonance-heated plasmas will be given. A complete characterization has been already performed, studying, in particular, the time evolution of X-ray spectra and the change of plasma morphology, including the balance between radiation originated in the plasma core and the one due to plasma losses. Finally, the experimental setup is going to be further upgraded in order to allow measurements of nuclear decays in magnetoplasmas.

While the mechanism is still not fully clear, the beneficial effect (higher intensity of highly charged ions, stable plasma conditions) of the second microwave injected to the ECR plasma was observed in many laboratories, both with close and far frequencies. Due to the complexity of the phenomena (e.g. interaction of resonant zones, damped instabilities) complex diagnostic methods are demanded to understand its mechanism better and to fully exploit the potential hidden in it. It is a challenging task since complex diagnostics methods require the arsenal of diagnostic tools to be installed to a relatively small size plasma chamber. Effect of the injected second 13.6–14.6 GHz microwave to the 14.25 GHz basic plasma has been investigated by means of soft and (time-resolved) hard X-ray spectroscopy, by X-ray imaging and space-resolved spectroscopy and by probing the rf signals emitted by the plasma. Concerning the characterization of the X radiation, in order to separate the source and position of different X-ray photons special metallic materials for the main parts of the plasma chamber were chosen. A detailed description and explanation of the full experimental setup and the applied non-invasive diagnostics tools and its roles are presented in this paper.

Experiments performed on Storage Rings have shown that lifetimes of beta-radionuclides can change dramatically as a function of theionization state. PANDORA (Plasmas for Astrophysics, Nuclear Decay Observation and Radiation for Archaeometry) aims at measuring, for the first time, nuclear β-decay rates in stellar-like conditions, especially for radionuclides involved in nuclear-astrophysics processes (BBN, s- processing, CosmoChronometers, Early Solar System formation). Compact magnetic plasma traps, where plasmas reach density ne~10n-1014 cm-3, and temperature Te~0.1-30 keV, are suitable for such studies. The decay rates can be measured as a function of the charge state distribution of the inplasma ions. The collaboration is now designing the plasma trap able to reach the needed plasma densities, temperatures and charge states distributions. A first list of radioisotopes, including tens of physics cases of potential interest is now available. Possible physics cases include, among the others, 2°4Tl, 63Ni, 6°Co, 171Tm, 147Pm, 85Kr, 176Lu and the pairs 187Re-187Os and 87Sr-87Rb, which play a crucial role as cosmo-clock. Physics cases are now under evaluation in terms of lifetime measurements feasibility in a plasma trap.

Lifetimes of radioactive nuclei are known to be affected by the level configurations of their respective atomic shells. Immersing such isotopes in environments composed of energetic charged particles such as stellar plasmas can result in β-decay rates orders of magnitude different from those measured terrestrially. Accurate knowledge of the relation between plasma parameters and nuclear decay rates are essential for reducing uncertainties in present nucleosynthesis models, and this is precisely the aim of the PANDORA experiment. Currently, experimental evidence is available for fully stripped ions in storage rings alone, but the full effect of a charge state distribution (CSD) as exists in plasmas is only modeled theoretically. PANDORA aims to be the first to verify these models by measuring the β-decay rates of select isotopes embedded in electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasmas. For this purpose, it is necessary to consider the spatial inhomogeneity and anisotropy of plasma ion properties as well as the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) nature of the system. We present here a 3D ion dynamics model combining a quasi-stationary particle-in-cell (PIC) code to track the motion of macroparticles in a pre-simulated electron cloud while simultaneously using a Monte Carlo (MC) routine to check for relevant reactions describing the ion population kinetics. The simulation scheme is robust, comprehensive, makes few assumptions about the state of the plasma, and can be extended to include more detailed physics. We describe the first results on the 3D variation of CSD of ions both confined and lost from the ECR trap, as obtained from the application of the method to light nuclei. The work culminates in some perspectives and outlooks on code optimization, with a potential to be a powerful tool not only in the application of ECR plasmas but for fundamental studies of the device itself.

The research of magnetically confined plasmas with high energy content is nowadays an important branch of the plasma physics with several options considering the chosen technics. One of the ways is the detection of photons emitted by the plasma itself. A new experimental setup was built in the ECR Laboratory of Atomki (Debrecen, Hungary) to detect in 2D the dense EM-radiation emitted by the ECR-plasma. The main elements of the setup are: an ECR ion source (as plasma source, operating at 13.6-14.6 GHz RF pumping frequency) and a pinhole X-ray camera (operating in the 500 eV-20 keV energy domain). An innovative lead collimator system was designed and built between the plasma and the camera. As a result, it has been possible to acquire X-ray pictures up to 200 W total incident RF-power. This value represents the highest operative RF power for which X-ray imaging has been acquired in the field of ECR Ion Sources and ECR compact traps. A new treatment for the noise reduction was applied to study plasma morphology. The new setup gives opportunity not just to study energetic stable plasmas, but even plasma turbulences and instabilities. K: Ion sources (positive ions, negative ions, electron cyclotron resonance (ECR), electron beam (EBIS)); Plasma diagnostics -interferometry, spectroscopy and imaging * Corresponding author.

Theoretical predictions as well as experiments performed at storage rings have shown that the lifetimes of β-radionuclides can change significantly as a function of the ionization state. In this paper we describe an innovative approach, based on the use of a compact plasma trap to emulate selected stellar-like conditions. It has been proposed within the PANDORA project (Plasmas for Astrophysics, Nuclear Decay Observation and Radiation for Archaeometry) with the aim to measure, for the first time in plasma, nuclear β-decay rates of radionuclides involved in nuclear-astrophysics processes. To achieve this task, a compact magnetic plasma trap has been designed to reach the needed plasma densities, temperatures, and charge-states distributions. A multi-diagnostic setup will monitor, on-line, the plasma parameters, which will be correlated with the decay rate of the radionuclides. The latter will be measured through the detection of the γ-rays emitted by the excited daughter nuclei following the β-decay. An array of 14 HPGe detectors placed around the trap will be used to detect the emitted γ-rays. For the first experimental campaign three isotopes, 176Lu, 134Cs, and 94Nb, were selected as possible physics cases. The newly designed plasma trap will also represent a tool of choice to measure the plasma opacities in a broad spectrum of plasma conditions, experimentally poorly known but that have a great impact on the energy transport and spectroscopic observations of many astrophysical objects. Status and perspectives of the project will be highlighted in the paper.