Title: A New Approach in Nuclear Physics to Understand the Origin of Elements in the Universe


일시 : 2022년 3월 22일(화), 17시


Speaker: 안성훈(IBS)


Abstract : Two important open questions addressed in the 2015 Long Range Plan for US Nuclear Science are ``Where do nuclei and elements come from?'' and ``What combinations of neutrons and protons can form a bound atomic nucleus?''  Their answers are crucial for both nuclear structure and astrophysics, gaining our knowledge about modern nuclear theory and the evolution of our Universe. Moreover, with the recent astonishing observation of the first neutron star merger by astronomers, understanding nuclear spectroscopic properties of short-lived nuclei has become very important to demonstrate outcomes of the event such as  gamma-ray, optical and X-ray emissions. However, our knowledge of rare isotopes involved in nucleosynthesis processes, such as the rapid proton capture process (rp-process) and the rapid neutron capture process (r-process), still lags behind the precision at which the observations have been made.


 In order to answer the questions, new experimental studies of nuclear properties with heavy ion radioactive beam accelerators are critical. Moreover, because most of key nuclei allowing us to explore new models of nuclear structure are far from stability, it is only possible to perform the research with powerful rare isotope beam(RIB) facilities, including National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, CARIBU at Argonne National Laboratory, MARS at Texas A&M University Cyclotron Institute, which provide short-lived radioactive beams. Furthermore, new generation RIB accelerator facilities around the world will be available soon, such as Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory (RIBF) in Japan, Facility for Rare Isotope Beam (FRIB) in the US and Rare isotope Accelerator complex for ON-line experiment (RAON) in South Korea.


 Recent experimental studies of key nuclei performed at the existing facilities will be presented as well as new active research activities at the Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies (CENS), Institute for Basic Science (IBS). Future plans how to take advantage of the new facilities including RAON will also be addressed.