Nuclear Structure, Mesoscopic Physics and Double-Beta Decay

在地球和太阳中观测到的元素都含有最稳定的原子核同位素。然而，这些同位素还有许多其他形式，它们的中子数或多或少，只存在很短的时间。这些不稳定原子核的形成对于理解在超新星爆炸等天体物理事件中观测到的元素的起源至关重要。核理论的这个项目将对我们理解已观测到的稳定和不稳定核的性质，并预测尚未观测到的性质作出重大贡献。这项研究量化了核稳定性和形成链和衰变的极限，这是理解宇宙演化过程中元素形成所需要的。核衰变是由基本粒子的性质决定的。研究人员还将研究一种双β衰变形式，在这种衰变中不释放中微子，并且可以确定中微子的质量。此外，该项目将推进核物理学的计算和分析方法，并将增加世界范围内正在使用的已经丰富的核结构计算程序。核物理学是我们理解宇宙和构成宇宙的基本粒子类型的核心。该项目将对核理论、基本对称性、核天体物理学和介观物理学等领域的新发展产生重大影响。要研究的主题包括：(1)开发新的分析和计算工具来描述核结构(2)影响不稳定核的核过程的详细理论研究；核过程的结构和动力学方面的计算和建模，包括与天体物理学有关的反应；与基本对称和双衰变有关的核性质的计算；(v)发展了开放和边缘稳定介观系统中结构和反应的统一描述，以及量子信息学感兴趣的问题中的量子输运；（vi）将原子核作为一个介观系统进行研究，包括多体量子混沌及其具有集体和规则特征的共存。许多这些研究课题都与国家超导回旋加速器实验室（NSCL）和世界各地其他实验室的实验项目有关。这项工作还与中国核天体物理联合研究所（JINA）紧密结合，一些项目将核结构理论与其他领域（如凝聚态物理和量子信息）联系起来。强大的教育和推广组成部分是这一努力的组成部分，因为密歇根州立大学的核物理项目在世界范围内被广泛认可为该学科的顶级项目。

The elements observed on the earth and in our sun contain the most stable isotopes of nuclei. However, there are a great many other forms of these isotopes with greater or lesser numbers of neutrons that only exist for a short time. The formation of these unstable nuclei is essential for understanding the origin of the observed elements during astrophysics events such as supernovae explosions. This project in nuclear theory will contribute significantly to our understanding of the observed properties of stable and unstable nuclei and predicts properties that are not yet observed. This research quantifies the limits of nuclear stability and chains of formations and decays that are needed for understanding the formation of elements during the evolution of the universe. Nuclear decays are determined by the properties of the fundamental particles. The investigators will also study a form of double-beta decay in which no neutrinos are emitted and in which the mass of the neutrino may be determined. Furthermore, this project will advance computational and analytical methods in nuclear physics, and will add to an already rich computational program for nuclear structure that is being used worldwide.Nuclear physics is at the heart of our understanding of the universe and the types of elementary particles with which it is composed. This project will have a significant impact on new developments in the field of nuclear theory, fundamental symmetries, nuclear astrophysics and the general field of mesoscopic physics. Topics to be studied include: (1) development of new analytical and computational tools for the description of nuclear structure (2) detailed theoretical studies of nuclear processes affecting unstable nuclei; (iii) calculations and modeling of structural and dynamical aspects of nuclear processes, including reactions of astrophysical interest; (iv) calculations of nuclear properties related to fundamental symmetries and double-beta decay; (v) development of the unified description of structure and reactions in open and marginally stable mesoscopic systems and quantum transport in problems of interest to quantum informatics; (vi) studies of the nucleus as a mesoscopic system, including many-body quantum chaos and its coexistence with collective and regular features. Many of these research topics are connected to the experimental programs at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) and other laboratories worldwide. This work is also closely coupled with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA), and some projects bridge nuclear structure theory with other areas, such as condensed matter physics and quantum information. Strong educational and outreach component are integral components of this effort, as the nuclear physics program at MSU is widely recognized worldwide as a top program in this discipline.