SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Scientists at the University of Notre Dame and elsewhere have begun using a new $4 million nuclear accelerator to study the origin of elements and the chemical evolution of the universe.

Physics professor Michael Wiescher said the accelerator’s primary use is to study astrophysics. It will be used by scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, a collaboration among Notre Dame, Michigan State University, the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory. But the accelerator also can be employed for other purposes, such as testing the effects of radiation on spacecraft, helping to determine the age of archaeological finds and testing artificial joints for wear and tear.