Physics of nuclei

The study of nuclei is a core component of modern science, helping to connect the very small (quantum mechanics) with the unimaginably vast (stars, galaxies and the cosmos). Thanks to a host of productive collaborations between theorists and experimentalists, the last few years have accelerated our understanding the nucleus.

However, there remains much mystery, too.

Consider that it's been more than a half century since the discovery of the proton and neutron, the building-block particles that comprise nuclei. However, researchers still can't predict exactly how these particles interact with each other to form all the matter that we see around us.

Throughout science, researchers advance their understanding of core principles by studying extremes in nature. In nuclear science, this means probing nuclei that generally exist only in environments such as hyper-dense neutron stars or cataclysmic supernova.

FRIB will make it possible to produce more of these nuclei, in the process addressing a host of open questions about the physics of nuclei. These questions include:

• How do protons and neutrons make stable nuclei and rare isotopes?
• What is the origin of simple patterns in complex nuclei?
• What are the heaviest nuclei that can exist?

Source: 2006 brochure from the RIA users community