Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Theory opportunities in nuclear science at the limits of stability

Filomena Nunes (NSCL)

The ultimate goal for nuclear theory is to develop a predictive understanding of nuclei and their interactions grounded in QCD. In addressing this challenge, nuclei at the limits of stability play a crucial role, in that they unveil detailed features of the underlying force. In addition to the intersection of nuclear physics, and astrophysics and cosmology, our fermionic systems exhibit emergent phenomena that are present in other complex systems studied by quantum chemists, atomic, molecular, and condensed-matter physicists, and materials scientists. An overview of the overarching questions our community is addressing will be presented, highlighting the theoretical opportunities that lie ahead. Also, a few concrete examples of my own research in reaction theory will be discussed, demonstrating the importance of coupling theory and experiment for the advancement of the field.