Practical Sessions

AstroNuc 2026 will feature three 90-minute hands-on sessions led by open-source code developers, offering practical introductions to widely used tools in nuclear astrophysics research. 

Nuclear Reaction Networks: Ebraheem Farag, Yale University, Tuesday, March 10

This session will cover basic usage of the MESA software instrument in the context of nuclear astrophysics. The session will focus on demonstrating how a user can setup a MESA stellar model, alter specific nuclear reaction rates, evolve the stellar model, and interpret the results in the context of stellar evolutionary theory and observational constraints. 

Spectral Synthesis: Lindsey Kwok, Northwestern University, Wednesday, March 11

In this hands-on session, participants will work directly with observed supernova spectra to learn how nucleosynthesis signatures are identified in practice. The workshop will focus on line identification with physical consistency checks and on understanding how differences in elemental distributions in explosion models can shape observed line profiles. Emphasis will be placed on common pitfalls, degeneracies, and the limitations of one-dimensional interpretations, providing an accessible entry point for those interested in connecting transient observations to nucleosynthesis. 

Stellar Populations in Galaxies: Tom Wagg, Flatiron Institute, Friday, March 12

This lab will teach you how to use cogsworth to track the timing and location of supernovae in galaxies, which are crucial for galactic chemical evolution. We’re going to incrementally develop a suite of simulations that uses cogsworth to track these events and see how they are sensitive to different aspects of binary evolution and galactic dynamics.