Exciting Nuclei: hidden symmetries, stellar archeology, climate change and other paraphernalia

by Dr Giacomo De Angelis (INFN)

Thursday 10 Apr 2025, 11:30 → 12:30 Europe/Rome

Sala Jappelli (Osservatorio astronomico di Padova)

Nuclear physics research is at the dawn of a new era. After the Big Bang and billions years of evolution, the universe has provided us around 2000 nuclei. Based on the information from these nuclei, nuclear theory has been established in order to understand the structure of the nucleus. The steady progress over the past twenty years in the development of high intensity stable beams and of beams of radioactive isotopes has allowed to vastly expand the objectives of experimental nuclear research. It is also becoming possible to study in the laboratory a range of nuclear reactions that take place in exploding stars, providing crucial information to understand how the chemical elements that we find on Earth were formed. With more than 2000 nuclei produced artificially and around 6000 expected to be produced in the facilities in operation or under construction in China, Europe, Japan and US, nuclear physics meets serious challenges. To achieve this ambitious goal, one needs to study the characteristics of unstable (radioactive) nuclei through their decays and the various nuclear interactions. Such unstable nuclei have also a wide range of applications (medicine, climate changes etc.).  In this presentation I will discuss the AGATA experimental campaign ongoing at LNL, together with some of the results of the previous GANIL campaign, investigating Isopin symmetry. I will also present future programs of the new SPES ISOL radioactive ion beam facility focused on nuclear astrophysics and applications. We have recently tested in experiments performed at the ANL (USA) the use of solenoidal spectrometer for n-capture reactions measurements based on indirect approaches. As an example of the application of nuclear physics to societal issues, I will also report on the present status of the REMO-ClimOcean project, recently started in Spain and in Italy within the EU PNRR programs, with the aim to use radiotracers to monitor the adaptation of marine species to the new climatic conditions. 

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https://unipd.zoom.us/j/85273198731?pwd=V1ZiNE9ZWUN4ZTdIUzJsTFo0Z3U2Zz09
Meeting ID: 852 7319 8731
Passcode: 208186