How the Sun and the Stars Shine: A Single Experiment Solves a Millennia-Old Question of Humanity (Astronomers' Universe)

This book presents the story of an experiment with historical significance that, for the first time, uncovered the mechanisms responsible for solar energy production and those generating energy in massive stars. The results were obtained by directly measuring the neutrino fluxes produced by individual fusion reactions in the Sun and providing the initial evidence of nuclear reactions occurring in massive stars via the CNO cycle. The CNO cycle is theorized to be the primary channel for hydrogen burning in stars more massive than the Sun and is, in fact, the primary channel for hydrogen burning in the Universe. These groundbreaking discoveries stem from a singular 32-year experiment, spanning from 1990 to 2021.

The book commences with the experiment's genesis, placing it within the historical context of astrophysics and astroparticle physics. It then delves into the detector's conceptualization, gently describing the techniques used and addressing the challenges in constructing the detector. The narrative is presented in a simple and popular style, maintaining rigorous scientific adherence to the obtained results.

The book is intended for a general audience not necessarily familiar with science, especially physics, but with a curiosity and interest in astrophysics. It aims to reach those who may be unaware of the complexities involved in conducting a scientific experiment, particularly one pushing the limits of feasibility. Additionally, it may appeal to those interested in amateur physics or astrophysics. The core novelty of the book lies in its detailed exploration of an experiment, encompassing scientific, cultural, personal, and even sociological dimensions.

Gianpaolo Bellini is an emeritus professor at the University of Milan and an emeritus scientist at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics. As an experimental physicist specializing in elementary particles and astroparticles, he has conducted and led numerous experiments in some of the world's most renowned laboratories, including CERN (Geneva, Switzerland), IHEP (Protvino, Russia), Fermilab (Batavia, USA), and the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (Assergi, Italy).

His research and discoveries span various fields, including resonances, coherent interactions on nuclei, the lifetime of all particles containing a charm quark, and the mechanisms that power the Sun and stars.

Throughout his career, he has received several prestigious international awards, including the Bruno Pontecorvo Prize, the Enrico Fermi Prize, and the Wanda and Giuseppe Cocconi Prize from the European Physical Society, the latter in recognition of the Borexino collaboration.

The Borexino experiment, which he conceived and led at the Gran Sasso laboratories, achieved groundbreaking results that were recognized among the world's top 10 scientific breakthroughs in both 2014 and 2020. In honor of this achievement, the Italian Post issued a commemorative stamp.

Bellini is the author of approximately 220 papers published in international peer-reviewed journals, the editor of 11 books on elementary particle physics, and the author of four popular science books.