NSF-South Africa Workshop on Nuclear Physics, May 2011

NSF-南非核物理研讨会，2011 年 5 月

• 批准号: 1029437
• 负责人: Bruce Barrett
• 金额: $ 4.99万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-11-15 至 2013-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1029437&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; South; Africa; Workshop; Nuclear

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this project is to hold a workshop at the National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in May, 2011, on the topic of theoretical and experimental nuclear physics. The host is Prof. Frederik Scholtz, Director of the NITheP. This workshop includes both junior and senior physicists, not only from the US and South Africa, but also from Europe and Japan as well as other countries in Africa. The goal is both to provide educational training and mentoring for the student participants and to establish new reserach collaborations between the South African nuclear physicists and the overseas participants, especially those from the US. The benefits to the US participants are two-fold: 1.) the student participants gain new knowledge and experience in nuclear physics and build contacts with their South African peers, and 2.) the senior participants learn about new developments in nuclear physics both in South Africa and in other countries and form collaborative research projects with the South African nuclear physicists. Support for the US participants in this workshop is provided by this award.TECHNICAL DETAILS: The four components of the program are: (i) Algebraic approaches to the many-body problem; (ii) Physics of open quantum systems and non-hermitian quantum mechanics; (iii) Experimental gamma-ray spectroscopy; and (iv) Radioisotopes in science and industry. Topics (i) and (ii) represent cutting-edge nuclear theory; they are relevant to the science of radioactive beams worldwide, including on-going programs in the USA around the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University (MSU), and the Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS), and future research at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to be built at MSU. They use advanced analytical tools of mathematical physics, such as advanced boson mapping techniques, spectrum-generated algebras, and Rigged Quantum Mechanics, Effective Field Theory, as well as state-of-the-art numerical and computational tools, such as resonant state expansions, the Density Matrix Renormalization Group method, and the No Core Shell Model. Topic (iii) addresses a variety of burning questions in nuclear structure and the connections between nuclear structure and astrophysics, neutrino physics, and physics beyond the standard model. Topic (iv) includes a societal relevance as the iThemba Laboratory for Acceleration Based Sciences (LABS), the only producer of accelerator-based radionuclides in South Africa, plays an important role in the Virtual Isotope Center recently established by the Department of Energy. The programs have a hands-on component to train students, i.e., research projects carried out under the supervision of the senior participants. This approach stimulates student involvement and can lead to publications. Some students can also use these projects for credits at their home institutions. The proposed activity serves as a starting point for the preparation of a joint proposal with South African physicists on the nuclear many-body problem to be submitted to the National Science Foundation.

非技术描述：该项目的目的是于2011年5月在南非斯泰伦博斯的国家理论物理研究所(NITHEP)举办一次研讨会，主题是理论和实验核物理。主持人是NITHEP主任弗雷德里克·肖尔茨教授。这次研讨会包括初级和高级物理学家，不仅来自美国和南非，还包括来自欧洲和日本以及非洲其他国家的物理学家。其目标是为学生参与者提供教育培训和指导，并在南非核物理学家和海外参与者，特别是来自美国的参与者之间建立新的研究合作关系。这对美国的参与者有两方面的好处：1)学员获得核物理方面的新知识和经验，并与南非同行建立联系。资深与会者了解南非和其他国家在核物理方面的新发展，并与南非核物理学家形成合作研究项目。技术细节：该计划的四个组成部分是：(I)多体问题的代数方法；(Ii)开放量子系统的物理学和非厄米量子力学；(Iii)实验伽马射线能谱；以及(Iv)科学和工业中的放射性同位素。专题(I)和(Ii)代表前沿核理论；它们与世界各地的放射性束流科学有关，包括美国围绕橡树岭国家实验室的霍利菲尔德放射性离子束设施(HRIBF)、密歇根州立大学(MSU)的国家超导回旋实验室(NSCL)和阿贡串列直线加速器系统(ATLAS)的正在进行的计划，以及即将在密歇根州立大学建造的稀有同位素束设施(FRIB)的未来研究。它们使用先进的数学物理分析工具，如先进的玻色子映射技术、谱生成代数、套用量子力学、有效场论，以及最先进的数值和计算工具，如共振态展开、密度矩阵重整化群方法和无核壳模型。主题(Iii)讨论了原子核结构中的各种紧迫问题，以及原子核结构与天体物理、中微子物理和超越标准模型的物理之间的联系。专题(4)包括社会相关性，因为iThemba基于加速的科学实验室(实验室)是南非唯一的加速器放射性核素生产商，在能源部最近设立的虚拟同位素中心中发挥着重要作用。这些方案有一个实际操作的部分来培训学生，即在高级参与者的监督下开展的研究项目。这种方法刺激了学生的参与，并可能导致出版物的出版。一些学生还可以利用这些项目在他们所在的机构获得学分。拟议的活动是与南非物理学家就核多体问题编写联合提案的起点，将提交给国家科学基金会。