Structure and Electromagnetic Moments of Exotic Nuclei

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Intellectual MeritOne of the frontier areas of nuclear physics involves the study of the structure of the nucleiof atoms which are very dierent from the stable nuclei that represent matter as we know it.These nuclei are unstable and have to be produced in dedicated accelerators. In nuclei in general,the excitations of individual nucleons from one energy level to another are expected to changeas a function of the constituent number of protons or neutrons. The characteristics of any onesingle nucleon, whether proton or neutron, can be probed by reactions in which individual nucleonsare transferred from one nucleus to another during a collision. Reactions in which a neutron istransferred will be studied at relatively low energies with rare isotope beams of nuclei that contain alarge number of neutrons. These studies can only be carried out with beams such as those producedat the Holield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.Another challenge in nuclear physics aims at understanding the excitations of nuclei far-from-stability as a function of energy and angular momentum. The second focus of this proposal willaddress, via measurements of magnetic properties, the microscopic structure of excited states.These studies will impact on the understanding of the interactions between nucleons, and willilluminate the interplay of individual particles with the underlying spherical or deformed nuclearcores. New techniques involving bombarding light nuclei with heavier ones have been developedand tested with radioactive beams. The method will now be applied at HRIBF.Broader Impacts.The structure of the proposed activities is designed to have as large as possible an impact on theeducation and training of graduate and undergraduate students, as well as postdoctoral associates.The project will also serve to enhance the diversity of the nuclear science workforce by includingearly career scientists who are women or come from other under-represented backgrounds. Theparticipation of these early career scholars in the forefront research would prepare them for careersin education and basic and applied research, in national laboratories and industry.The nuclear physics results are also of importance in astronomy, to understand the abundanceof elements observed in the galaxy, condensed matter physics, to understand the microscopic com-ponents of the transient hyperfine, and national security, to understand properties of andreactions on fission fragments.