Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics

Michigan State University proposes a three-year grant supporting the research

of a faculty group in nuclear theory, Professors B. A. Brown and V. Zelevinsky,

together with M. Horoi (Central Michigan University). The research proposed

encompasses a broad range of topics in nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics

important for the ongoing program at the National Superconducting Cyclotron

Laboratory. The main components are structural properties of nuclei, including

those far from stability, and their manifestation in nuclear reactions and astrophysical

phenomena. The rich experience of the group and the support from MSU

and NSCL provides the .rm basis for a diverse and topical research program.

The proposed research is in the mainstream of modern nuclear physics that is

directed to answering principal questions what are the limits of stability of nuclei,

how did the chemical evolution of the Universe proceed, what are the

ways of self-organization in interacting many-body systems - how does order coexist

with chaos and complexity. Concrete directions of the proposed research

logically follow from the previous experience of the group. Suggested main topics

are (i) development of new analytical and computational tools for the description

of nuclear structure and nuclear reactions, especially for the nuclei far from

stability; (ii) detailed consideration of speci.c nuclear phenomena and nuclear

processes that shed light on the new features encountered with the advances into

virgin territory of unstable nuclei; (iii) calculations and modeling of structural

and dynamical aspects of nuclear processes of astrophysical interest; (iv) studies

of many-body quantum chaos and its coexistence with collective and regular

features in nuclear structure and reactions.

The suggested program is expected to have appreciable impact on the development

in the .eld of nuclear theory and nuclear astrophysics. It will also in.uence

the direction of the experimental e.orts. In a broader context, successful progress

in the program is important for our understanding of the basic constituents of

matter and nucleosynthesis in the Universe. The studies of many-body properties,

chaos and collectivity in nuclear structure, have a strong interdisciplinary

aspect since the nucleus is an exemplary case of a self-sustaining .nite Fermisystem

with strong interactions. Historically, many ideas .rst formulated in the

context of nuclear theory fertilized other branches of physics. The proposed research

is expected to help studies in physics of Bose- and Fermi-condensates,

complex molecules, solid state microdevices and quantum computing. The proposal

has a considerable educational component being part of the highly ranked

nuclear physics program at NSCL/MSU.