Nuclear Structure Theory and its Applications to Nuclear Properties, Astrophysics and Fundamental Physics

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The research support by this project encompasses a range of topics in nuclear structure theory with applications to new experimental results, nuclear astrophysics, and fundamental interactions in nuclei. This research relates to broad questions in science including: What are the limits of nuclear stability? How did the chemical evolution of the universe proceed? What are the masses of the neutrinos? How do the nuclear properties emerge from the underlying nucleon-nucleon interactions? Computational tools for nuclear structure theory will be developed, applied and made available to other users. These tools are integrated with experimental data bases for evaluation and testing. The graduate students supported by this project will have unique opportunities to train and contribute to high-profile research in nuclear theory. Hamiltonians for the configuration-interaction (CI) method that include isospin-nonconverging parts of the nucleon-nucleon interaction will be developed. Specific projects that will be used for nuclear astrophysics include those for level densities, beta decay strength functions, and energy density functionals (EDF). The EDF project enables one to connect nuclear properties such as the neutron skin to properties of neutron stars. Many of the projects are in coordination with the experimental program at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). This collaboration is important for maximizing the discovery potential of experiments at the FRIB facility that will start in the Spring of 2022. Some of the computational tools are adopted for educational projects that are used for the education for high-school and undergraduate students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.