High-resolution studies of spin-isospin modes and neutrino-nucleus reactions in supernovae

Some aspects of the importance of neutrino-induced reactions on nuclei within supernova physics are discussed. It is argued that important constraints on the experimentally unknown cross sections can be obtained from experimental studies of the nuclear response in selected cases. Examples are neutral-current-induced reactions on fp-shell nuclei extracted from high-resolution inelastic electron scattering data providing the M1 strength distributions and the Gamow-Teller strength in the exotic heavy, odd-odd nuclei 138La and 180Ta deduced from the (3He, t) charge-exchange reaction at zero degree.