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Nuclear and Particle Physics: Current Issues and Applications (Report on the Nucleus 2020 International Conference)

A. k. vlasnikov.

St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia

V. I. Zherebchevsky

T. v. lazareva.

The most promising lines of development in nuclear and particle physics are considered. One of these is the synthesis of achievements in nuclear physics and the nano-, bio-, information, cognitive, and social sciences to create technologies similar to nature and improve our understanding of humanity (the NBICS paradigm). The second topic is the growing attention to ultrahigh energies of collision and studying such exotic states of matter as quark–gluon plasma. The reports delivered at the 70th conference on nuclear physics in St. Petersburg provide a wide range of material for discussion.

INTRODUCTION

The LXX International Conference on Nuclear Physics “Nucleus 2020. Nuclear Physics and Elementary Particle Physics. Nuclear Physics Technologies” was held at St.Petersburg State University October 12–17, 2020. This conference is unique not only in the former Soviet Union but worldwide as well. It has been held annually since 1951, hosting leading physicists from many world laboratories. Its predecessors were national conferences on atomic nuclei (held Leningrad in 1933 and Moscow in 1935) and meetings on the physics of atomic nuclei (held in Leningrad in 1938, Kharkov in 1939, and Moscow in 1940). The Second World War interrupted this trend toward holding annual conferences on nuclear physics. Only in February 1951 was the first Conference on Nuclear Physics held in the small hall of the Presidium of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow [ 1 ], where the tradition of regular such meetings was renewed. For many years, the organizing committees of these meetings were headed by Boris Dzhelepov, a corresponding member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. Due to his authority, leadership, dedication, and enthusiasm, these conferences acquired annual status and were convened at different venues, helping to develop studies of nuclear physics in Russia. Though these conferences were for many years officially referred to as conferences on nuclear spectroscopy, the range of topics grew notably broader, since there were no other annual meetings where nuclear physicists could discuss relevant problems of science. Over time, the title of the conference changed to the National Conference on Nuclear Spectroscopy and Nuclear Structure. It acquired de facto international status in 1960, but continued to be called the National Conference. In the early 2000s, the title was changed to include the word “Nucleus” and the year of the conference. The development of the conference largely repeated that of science in general and nuclear physics in Russia in particular. The number of theses presented in the periods 1951–1970 ( Fig. 1a ) and 1990–2020 ( Fig. 1b ) illustrate the development of Soviet and Russian nuclear physics. The rapid increase of the first two decades was replaced by a decline starting in the 1990s. However, growth can be seen over the last five years. It may be uneven, but it gives hope of restoring the role of science in modern society.

Change in the number of works included in the programs of annual conferences: (a) 1951–1970 and (b) 1990–2020. Conference venues: Alma-Ata (AA), Voronezh (V), Dubna (D), Erevan (E), Kiev (K), Leningrad (L), Moscow (M), Minsk (Mn), Obninsk (O), Riga (R), Sarov (Sa), St. Petersburg (SP), Tbilisi (T), Kharkov (Kh), and Cheboksary (Ch).

The conference of 2020 was unique, and not only because it was the 70th. The conditions under which it was held were most unusual. The Corona virus made the normal conference format impossible. A team capable of conducting a large conference online was gathered in a relatively short period of time. In a situation where many conferences were being cancelled, the joint efforts of St. Petersburg State University, the Kurchatov Institute, the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, and the conference’s organizing committee resulted in the correct strategic and organizational decisions. Reliable channels of communication were established that allowed not only the broadcasting of reports but discussion among the conference’s participants as well.

The conference’s scientific program covered a broad range of nuclear physics topics: experimental and theoretical investigations of nuclear structure and nuclear reactions, modern methods and technologies in nuclear physics, particle and high-energy physics, neutrino physics, and nuclear astrophysics. Along with these traditional topics, the conference’s program included reports dealing with synchrotron radiation, neutron physics, and using nuclear physics in studying objects of cultural heritage. Special attention was given to problems encountered in nuclear medicine.

The geography of the conference’s participants was also very broad. More than 400 reports were given by particpants from 38 countries ( Fig. 2 ). The total number of registered participants was more than 575. Even though the conference was held online, meaning that participants had to log in during its hours of operation and regardless of time zones (for example, speakers from the University of Illinois in the United States made their presentation at 5:30 in the morning, local time), interest in the reports was very high.

Conference geography, showing the number of participants per country.

OPENING DAY

The conference opened on October 12. The participants were greeted warmly by A.E. Blagov (director of the Kurchatov Institute, Moscow), academician V.A. Matveev (director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna), and Paolo Giubellino (director of GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research, Germany). On behalf of St. Petersburg State University, the conference’s participants were greeted by Vice-Rector for Research S.V. Mikushev and conference co-chairman V.I. Zherebchevsky.

On the opening day, a plenary talk titled “Synchrotron Neutron Studies: The Basis for a A Breakthrough in Science and Technology” was delivered by A.E. Blagov (Kurchatov Institute), who reviewed the development of nuclear science and technology in Russia and outlined the current possibilities of synchrotron and neutron studies. It was emphasized that the the Kurchatov Institute is now developing a new interdisciplinary technological system (the NBICS paradigm) that combines nano-, bio-, and information technologies with cognitive and socio-humanitarian knowledge. Nature-like technologies developed in this way will allow us to create biological systems and materials with targeted properties that economize natural resources and energy. An extensive research program that includes experiments with synchrotron and neutron beams must be conducted to achieve these ambitious plans. Blagov noted that the Kurchatov Institute’s complex for synchrotron and neutron studies is of the world’s few venues where there is a synchrotron (with electron energies of up to 2.5 GeV and 16 experimental stations) and a research reactor on the same territory, allowing a fundamentally new level of basic and applied research to be achieved. The lines of this research include crystallography, materials science, structural chemistry, protein crystallography, molecular biology, medicine, the analysis of organic and hybrid multilayer systems, studies of cognitive processes, and studying objects of cultural heritage. The Kurchatov Institute is a leading center for studies of synchrotron radiation and neutrons in the Russian Federation, so the described program for developing such studies and building the required infrastructure was of special interest. Under the federal program, a network of centers for synchrotron radiation will be created that includes the upgraded source of synchrotron radiation at the Kurchatov Institute, another on Russkiy Island (Vladivostok), and a fourth-generation SKIF installation with an electron energy of 3 GeV (Kol’tsovo, near Novosibirsk). A top-of-the-line fourth-generation source of synchrotron radiation with an electron energy of 6 GeV will play a key role in the development of world-class studies by combining the general infrastructure with a linear accelerator and a free-electron X-ray laser (the SILA project in Protvino, Moscow oblast). The specialized source of synchrotron radiation will have a record low emittance of 90 pm rad, while the femtosecond laser will generate light with a wavelength of 0.1 nm, the level of the world’s best installations. These parameters will allow investigations of fast processes and objects the size of atoms.

The plenary report of N.V. Marchenkov, acting director of the Kurchatov Complex of Synchrotron an Neutron Investigations, titled “Kurchatov Complex of Synchrotron and Neutron Research: Current Status and Prospects,” allowed the conference’s participants to become better acquainted with the research on neutrons and synchrotron radiation now under way on the institute’s main campus.

An example of the NBICS paradigm is using means of nuclear physics to study objects of cultural heritage (“Studying Historic Materials by Means of Nuclear Physics at the Kurchatov Institute,” presented by E.B. Yatsyshina). Interesting results were yielded by nondestructive tests of materials contained in relic crosses dating back to 10th and 11th centuries, found in Suzdal’ Opol’e (a territory in Northeastern Russia heavily populated during the Middle Ages). These crosses were similar to one another but, as neutron tomography showed, contained very different substances (human hair, sheep’s wool, and linen and silk fibers). Using computer tomography, a joint research team from the Kurchatov Institute and State Museum of Fine Arts examined ten Egyptian mummies dating back to the 20th century BC. This investigation was complicated by the sarcophagi containing the mummies, which could not be opened.

The investigations revealed the mummification technique, age, gender, diseases, wounds and, in some cases, the cause of death for each mummy. Images of these people that lived 4000 years ago were reproduced using Gerasimov’s techniques for reconstructing facial soft tissues. Nuclear physics techniques for investigating artifacts were included in the conference agenda for the first time, drawing considerable attention. This will hopefully continue in future nuclear physics conferences of the series.

The PIK high-flux research reactor (Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute) is one of the largest megascience facilities operating in the Russian Federation. In his plenary talk titled “International Center for Neutron Research Based on Reactor PIK”, Deputy Director V.V. Voronin described current and planned experiments with this Facility. It was noted that the PIK reactor was first mentioned in the literature as early as 1966. Although it was commissioned over half a century ago, this facility still operates more efficiently than most research reactors built recently. Upon the final upgrade of this reseach facility scheduled for 2024, the reactor’s power will reach 100 MW, and both cold and ultracold neutrons will be available to users. This will allow experimental studies in the fields of condensed-state physics, nanosystems, biology, nuclear and particle physics, and fundamental interactions.

The second day of the session started with the report “History of One Calendar Date. To the 80th Anniversary of the Discovery of Spontaneous Fission” delivered by S.V. Khlebnikov, director of the Radium Institute Museum (St. Petersburg). Leningrad physicists G.N. Flerov and K.A. Petrzhak, who discovered this phenomenon, built upon significant advances in nuclear physics, radiochemistry, and radiogeology largely achieved at the Radium Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The concept of charged-particle acceleration with the field of a high-frequency alternating current was proposed at the Radium Institute by L.V. Mysovskii, and the first European cyclotron was commissioned there fifteen years later (in 1937). The First National Radioactivity Meeting, the first nuclear physics conference in the Soviet Union, was convened at the Radium Institute in 1932. It is noteworthy that though 1940 is the accepted date of the discovery of spontaneous fission, this phenomenon was first recorded in the report by K.A. Petrzhak (Radium Institute) a year earlier.

Reports on large-scale international experiments in neutrino physics were delivered the same day. In his talk “Status and Prospects of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory,” Alberto Garfagnini (Italy) represented the JUNO international collaboration, in which physicists from nineteen countries including Russia participate. In the JUNO project, the 700 m deep experimental hall under construction in China will house the world’s largest liquid scintillator detector of antineutrinos: 20 000 tons of liquid scintillator will be contained in a spherical vessel with a 30 m radius, and electron antineutrinos will be detected from the Vavilov–Cherenkov radiation produced by secondary positrons in collisions with protons by 20 000 large and 26 500 small photomulplier tubes. Two nuclear power plants operating at distances of ~50 km from the detector will serve as antineutrino sources. Detecting neutrino oscillations will provide clues to the neutrino mass hierarchy and help refine the values of neutrino-mixing parameters. Compared to measurements made with other detectors, the uncertainties on these parameters will be reduced by several times, due to a greater number of statistics. JUNO will also offer a powerful instrument for studies of solar and atmospheric neutrinos, and ones emitted by supernovas and geoneutrinos. The JUNO experimental program also includes seaches for proton decay (predicted by some theoretical schemes beyond the Standard Model) and sterile neutrinos.

The latter were also discussed by A.P. Serebrov (Corresponding Member, Russian Academy of Sciences) in his talk “Observation of Sterile Antineutrino Oscillation in the Neutrino-4 Experiment at SM-3 Reactor” devoted to the revolutionary discovery of a new types of neutrino. Neutrinos ot three flavors corresponding to three generations of lepton are now known to exist: electron, muon, and tau neutrinos. Also hypothesized is the existence of so-called sterile neutrinos, which could be dark matter particles and participate only in gravitational interactions but possibly mix with neutrinos of the three mentioned flavors. Mixing between known and sterile antineutrinos can be studied by measuring the electron–antineutrino flux as a function of the distance from the reactor core. Such measurements made in 2014–2019 in the Neutrino-4 experiment indeed indicate the existence of a sterile neutrino (dubbed neutrino-4), which could also explain results obtained earlier in the LSND and MiniBooNe experiments. Using the Neutrino-4 data, the authors extracted the mass-square difference between the first and fourth neutrino mass eigenstates and the sine of the doubled mixing angle between them. Using data obtained by other experiments and a number of assumptions (including the simplest scheme with a single sterile neutrino, the 3 + 1 model), effective neutrino masses were obtained as m νe = 0.58 ± 0.09 eV, m νμ = 0.42 ± 0.24 eV, m ντ ≤ 0.65 eV, and m 4 = 2.68 ± 0.13 eV. The above estimate of the electron-neutrino mass is consistent with corresponding upper limit m νe  < 1.1 eV (at 90% C.L.) imposed using the tritium beta-decay data of the KATRIN experiment (Germany) and reported by N. Titov (Institute for Nuclear Research, Moscow).

Provided that the lepton number is not conserved and that neutrino is a Majorana particle identical to its antiparticle, the rate of neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is also sensitive to the neutrino effective mass. Results from the search for neutrinoless double beta-decay in the GERDA experiment (Gran Sasso laboratory, Italy) were reported by F. Salamida. The most stringent lower limit on the half-life of 76 Ge 0νββ decay was imposed in this experiment: T 1/2 > 1.8 × 10 26 yr (90% C.L.).

Very interesting talks dealing with the physics of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays were also delivered on the same day. It is well known that the energies of some charged cosmic particles bombarding the Earth’s atmosphere exceed by seven–eight orders of magnitude those attained at the highest-energy accelerator constructed so far, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These produce showers of secondary particles in the atmosphere that are detected by terrestrial cosmic-ray arrays, particularly by the world’s largest observatory, the Pierre Auger in Argentina. We obtain unique astrophysical data by detecting these ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, along with information on fundamental interactions. Where particle colliders are concerned, we refer the reader to numerous conference reports dealing with the NICA collider under construction at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna.

Virtually all reports of large international collaborations in the fields of particle physics, relativistic nuclear physics, and high-energy physics were delivered on Wednesday, October 14. The corresponding section of the conference featured the largest number of talks delivered and drew the largest audience, reflecting the worldwide interest in these fields of research. The plenary talks presented results obtained at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (Brookhaven National Laboratory, US), the Large Hadron Collider (CERN, Geneva), and the CERN proton supersynchrotron. These machines are used in experiments conducted by large international collaborations with considerable Russian participation.

In his report “PHENIX Highlights,” Yu. Mitrankov (St. Petersburg Polytechnical University) described studies of quark–gluon plasma (QGP) produced in heavy ion collisions in the PHENIX experiment (RHIC). Compared to the LHC, the RHIC experimental conditions are advantageous in that we can collide heavy ions of different species, thus probing the dependence of QGP formation on the mass numbers of colliding nuclei. PHENIX data were presented on such QGP-sensitive parameters as the anisotropies of charged and neutral secondary hadrons (elliptical and triangular flows), nuclear modification factors reflecting QGP effects on the multiplicity of secondary hadrons, and direct-photon yields. The authors of this report concluded that collisions between light and heavy nuclei result in mini-QGP formation. The data suggest that in all heavy-ion collision systems, direct photons are emitted by sources of the same (albeit not specified) nature, regardless of the energy of collision.

The results obtained in CERN experiments were discussed in a great many plenary talks. S. Kovalsky (Poland) reported recent studies of strong interactions in the NA61/SHINE fixed-target experiment at the SPS machine, in which the momenta of incident Ar, Xe, and Pb ions were varied between 13 A and 158 A  GeV/ c . The main aim of this experiment was to study the formation of fireballs (clusters of ultradense, strongly interacting matter) and systematically investigating the hadron gas transition to the QGP phase. Phase diagrams with such variables as temperature, baryon chemical potential, and system size will be plotted for different strongly interacting collision systems. Compared to earlier SPS experiments, greater attention is given in NA61/SHINE to variations of physical characteristics as signals of a phase transition. Variations in the multiplicities of secondary strange and charmed particles are known to signal the onset of QGP formation. As was emphasized by the reporter, the range of collision energies provided by the SPS machine offers a unique opportunity to investigate charmed-particle production in the vicinity of the critical point of the first-order phase transition between the confined and QGP states of hadronic matter.

The current status and upgrade of the ALICE experiment at the LHC were discussed in a number of talks that included four plenary ones. E. Fragiacomo (CERN) reported ALICE data for proton collisions with heavy Pb and Xe ions at energies of collision between 1 and 13 TeV, shedding light on QGP formation and subsequent decay, and on the planned upgrade of the ALICE detector. The LHC will undergo a substantial upgrade whereby its luminosity will be boosted in two steps (by a factor of ten after 2027). The LHC will resume operation with protons and heavy ions upon completion of the first stage of the upgrade planned for 2021–2022. As reported by W. Trzaska (Finland), the ALICE detector is undergoing a thorough upgrade that will allow this detector of heavy-ion collisions to fully utilize the enhanced LHC luminosity. Upon completion of the detector upgrade in 2022, rare phenomena will be detected with increased precision. These include the emission of heavy-quark hadrons with small transverse momenta sensitive to quark interactions with the medium, and dilepton emissions from QGP that provide insight into the restoration of chiral-symmetry in quark–gluon plasma. The talk “New Inner Tracking System (ITS) for Open Charm Direct Measurements by ALICE at the LHC: Status and Perspectives” delivered by G.A. Feofilov (St. Petersburg State University) was of considerable interest to the audience. Planned upgrades of the detector oriented toward the third and fourth stages of the ALICE experimental program were discussed. Short-lived hadrons containing heavy quarks (such as D mesons) with small transverse momenta will be detected at a much higher frequency of primary collisions using a new internal tracker formed by seven layers of monolithic active pixel sensors manufactured with CMOS technology. The new internal tracker increases the spatial resolution by a factor of three, allows us to detect particles with transverse momenta down to 50 MeV/ c (zero for charmed particles), and can perform at a higher particle frequencies corresponding to those of primary collisions. In some respects, the new internal tracker of the ALICE detector is superior to those of the ATLAS and CMS detectors also operating at the LHC. Along with probing QGP properties, the ALICE detector can be used to investigate exotic nuclei, as was explained by A. B. Borissov in his talk “Latest Results on (Anti-)Hypernuclei Production at the LHC with ALICE.” Apart from elementary particles, lead ion collisions also produce low A nuclei and smaller amounts of hypernuclei that feature a constituent Λ hyperon instead of a neutron. We can not only detect hypertritons but also measure their lifetimes, due to the unique virtues of the ALICE detector. The latter proved to be close to the Λ lifetime, in agreement with theoretical models predicting that the Λ hyperon is weakly bound to constituent nucleons of the nucleus. Antihypertriton production can also be investigated in the ALICE experiment.

That QGP studies at the LHC are not restricted to the ALICE experiment was demonstrated by O. Evdokimova’s talk “New Results from Heavy-Ion Studies in the CMS Experiment.” Originally, the main thrust of the CMS experiment was particle physics, and particularly those of the Higgs boson. However, the CMS experimental agenda has since been diversified to include studies of heavy-ion collisions (particularly of the azimuthal anisotropy of secondary particles, the production of hadrons containing heavy quarks, and jet quenching). These processes provide clues to QGP formation in heavy-ion collisions. In the latter report, particular attention was given to CMS data on QGP formation in collisions between light nuclei.

FOURTH AND SUBSEQUENT DAYS

Fundamental problems of low-energy nuclear physics were discussed on the fourth day of the conference. Talks were submitted by veterans who have regularly participated in such conferences for several decades. Spectroscopic factors broadly used in analyzing data on nuclear reactions were critically reviewed by Prof. L.D. Blokhintsev (Moscow State University). It was unexpectedly concluded that spectroscopic factors are unobservable quantities that can be consisitently defined only for certain forms of the nuclear interaction Hamiltonian.

The phenomenon of chaos in quantum-mechanical systems, and in atomic nuclei in particular, was discussed by Prof. V.E. Bunakov (Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute). How can chaotic motion be defined for quantum processes that involve no particle trajectories? A chaoticity criterium also applicable to quantum systems was proposed: a system can be viewed as chaotic as soon as the number of its integrals of motion (or “good” quantum numbers) is less than the number of degrees of freedom. In counting the number of “good” quantum numbers, we need consider only those that are conserved in the classical limit (in contrast to, e.g., the space parity conserved in strong interactions). In his review, Prof. R.V. Jolos (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna) discussed the nuclear phase transitions that occur upon raising the energy of excitation and angular momentum while varying the number of constituent neutrons. The symmetry of the nucleus mean field and the structures of its ground and excited states are thus affected. Such effects as the coexistence of different nuclear shapes, the transition to a state with octupole deformation with increasing angular momentum, and the variation of the nucleus superfluid properties were considered within either the collective and microscopic approach.

JINR measurements of total cross sections of the 8 Li and 8 He exotic isobar scattering by 28 Si, 59 Co, and 181 Ta targets as functions of collision energy were reported by V.V. Samarin. Note that the structure of exotic nuclei near drip line consisting of a core and a halo can be efficiently probed by colliding them with stable nuclei, so such experiments attract growing attention. Total cross sections were measured for the first time over a broad energy range of 6–46 MeV per nucleon, and nuclear collisions were detected via prompt neutron and gamma emission. Measurements were compared to theoretical predictions, including ones based on the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, with which the 8 Li nucleus was found to consist of a 7 Li core (formed by 4 He and 3 H clusters) and a halo neutron.

In his interesting report “Physical Criteria of Data Reliability and Systematic Uncertainties of Photoneutron Reaction Cross Sections,” Prof. V.V. Varlamov (Moscow State University) analyzed the differences between the Saclay and Livermore measurements of the cross sections of photoneutron reactions. In a talk titled “Mechanisms of Multy-Stage Nuclear Decays with Taking into Account Real and Virtual States of Intermediate Nuclei,” Prof. S.G. Kadmensky (Voronezh) proposed including the virtual (and real) states of intermediate nuclei in the decay chain of radioactive nuclei. This theoretical framework was then used to describe ternary and quaternary nuclear decays (either spontaneous or induced) as virtual processes. Presentations delivered by E. Litvinova (West Michigan University, United States) and Yu.V. Popov (Moscow State University) were also met with interest.

MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

The Nucleus 2020 agenda included a broader scope of nuclear physics applications in medical research than those of the previous conferences of the series. European and Russian participants both shared their experience with nuclear physics tecnologies in the therapy and diagnostics of various diseases. The promising modern technology of flash therapy, which opens up new possibilities in the treatment of oncological diseases, was described in an interesting report delivered by Prof. M. Dosanjh (CERN). Cancer tumors are briefly exposed to a charged-particle beam and receive a large dose of radiation. The period of irradiation is selected so that the DNA molecules of cancer cells are destroyed, while those of normal cells remain intact. Modern ways of treating oncological diseases with radioactive isotopes of different elements were reviewed by V.I. Zherebchevsky (St. Petersburg State University). These new isotopes find important applications in diagnostics (through positron emission tomography and single-photon emission computerized tomography) and therapy (through radioimmunology). Oncological diseases can be effectively diagnosed and treated with minimum side effects by combining the radioisotope visualization of organs and tissues with radioisotope therapy (an approach referred to as theranostics , or diagnostics-based therapy). The onco-selective preparation administered to the patient contains a radionuclide used originally for diagnostics and then as a means of treatment. Particular attention was given to joint studies and projects with the participation of physicists and engineers from St. Petersburg State University and State Corporation ROSATOM.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of volume restrictions, not all reports delivered at the conference can be noted in this brief review. For a full list, the reader is referred to Internet site [ 2 ] and the list of abstracts published in advance of the conference [ 3 ]. The best reports recommended by the conference’s program committee will be published in several issues of the Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Physics , Physics of Elementary Particles and Atomic Nuclei , and Nuclear Physics and Engineering .

The unique long-term continuity of the series of Russian nuclear physics conferences is explained by the flexibility and broad scope of its scientific program, which adequately reflects the evolution of microworld physics. Compared to the conferences of the initial forty-year period, which dealt largely with low-energy physics, today’s emphasis is on high-energy physics and nuclear physics applications in such areas as medicine and studying objects of cultural heritage. Despite the long history of the conference, its organizers are quite young, providing it with new ideas and energy.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This conference was a result of the collective efforts of many physicists. We thank the participants for sharing their results and ideas. We also thank the conference’s audience for their many questions, which could inspire future research leading to new discoveries.

Translated by A. Asratyan

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Editorial article, editorial: the future of nuclear structure: challenges and opportunities in the microscopic description of nuclei.

• 1 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli, Napoli, Italy
• 2 Physics Department and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
• 3 Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
• 4 Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
• 5 INFN, Sezione di Milano, Milano, Italy

Editorial on the Research Article The Future of Nuclear Structure: Challenges and Opportunities in the Microscopic Description of Nuclei

The past two decades have witnessed tremendous progress in the microscopic description of atomic nuclei. Within this approach, nuclei are described in terms of nucleons interacting via realistic two- and three-body forces, constrained to accurately reproduce a large body of data for few nucleons systems. The goal of the nuclear theory community is to gain an accurate and predictable understanding of how the properties of many-body systems, along with their dynamics and structure, emerge from internucleon correlations induced by the strong interaction.

Progress in the microscopic (or, ab initio ) theory has been quite notable and it has been supported by two major pillars: First, thanks to the advent of Effective Field Theories (EFTs), we can now systematically develop nuclear Hamiltonians that are rooted in the fundamental properties and symmetries of the underlying theory of QCD. Second, advances in computational resources and novel powerful algorithms allow us to solve 1) the many-nucleon problem efficiently, and 2) quantify the degree of reliability of theoretical calculations and predictions. In many cases, microscopic computations achieve an accuracy that is comparable or superior to the precision delivered by current EFT interactions. This sparked a renewed interest to further broaden the focus of ab initio theory and address open problems in nuclear physics.

While the status of the first pillar has been recently discussed by “The Long-Lasting Quest for Nuclear Interactions: The Past, the Present and the Future” Topical Review on this Journal, here we focus on the exciting new developments in microscopic theory. At present, ab initio computations of nuclear structure include up to medium-mass isotopes. The heaviest systems currently reached—with different degrees of accuracy—have mass number A ≈ 140 . These computational limits are constantly being pushed forward. At the same time, the community is expanding into new directions, in particular toward the study of electroweak observables and nuclear reactions, that nowadays require predictions with an accuracy never reached before for similar mass ranges.

In collecting the contributions for this Research Topic, we sought to gather contributions from authors who could summarize the current state-of-the-art microscopic calculations in Nuclear Theory, favoring a selected but broad view over an attempt to cover every application. All presented contributions stem from well-established methods in computational nuclear structure, and indicate recent theoretical advances and prospective outlooks, challenges and opportunities for Nuclear Theory. Most importantly, it is our hope that this collection will confer a big picture, including references to basic material, that will be valuable for young researches who intend to enter this exciting discipline.

The richness of applications in modern ab initio nuclear theory can be appreciated in Hergert ’s contribution that provides us with a general overview of the most successful microscopic many-body approaches currently in use. Traditionally, the refinement and sophistication of these computational tools has given fundamental support to advance the theories of nuclear forces. Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) techniques allow to solve the many-body Schrödinger equation with high accuracy for light nuclei up to masses A ∼ 16–40. Gandolfi et al. discuss the use of QMC methods (namely, Variational, Green’s Function, and Auxiliary Diffusion Monte Carlo methods) in combination with local chiral interactions in coordinate space. QMC methods are used in lattice effective field theory, where the EFT Lagrangian is implemented in momentum space with nucleons and pions placed on a lattice. Lee discusses the basic features of this approach and its high potential for understanding clustering phenomena.

For heavier isotopes, ab initio theories can be pushed to masses A ∼ 140 provided that one retains only the relevant nuclear excitations, as it is done through all-orders resummations. Among these methods, the self-consistent Green’s function (SCGF) theory gives direct access to the spectral information probed by a wide range of experiments as reviewed in detail by Somà ’s contributions. Once in the region of the nuclear chart that corresponds to medium masses, open shell isotopes become the next challenge to be addressed by the theory. In fact, resolving the degeneracy in uncorrelated systems requires large scale configuration mixing. Coraggio and Itaco demonstrate how this can be handled by projecting the correlated many-body states into a shell model Hamiltonian, using the so-called “Q-box” formalism. A similar strategy is shared by other computational frameworks, such as coupled cluster and in-medium SRG, that are touched upon in the contribution by Hergert . A less conventional approach to open shells is to break SU(1) symmetry (in short, allowing for breaking particle number conservation). This is discussed by Somà within SCGFs and by Tichai et al. in the framework of many-body perturbation theory.

The remainder of this topical review focuses on selected open challenges in Nuclear Theory that require an ab initio approach. Two contributions show different aspect of studying infinite nucleon systems and the implications for astrophysical scenarios. Tews covers QMC calculations of the equation of state (EoS) of dense matter in neutron stars. With the recent observation of star mergers and the birth of multi-messenger astronomy, it has become of prime importance to understand the finite temperature properties of the EoS. Rios discusses this topic and how the structure of neutron matter depends on temperature, using SCGF theory.

In the quest for physics beyond the Standard Model, Nuclear Theory, and in particular accurate calculations of neutrino-nucleus interactions at all energy scaler, plays a crucial role. This is carefully analyzed by Rocco ’s contribution that address this challenge with emphasis on impacts to neutrino oscillations experimental programs. The last contribution of this Topical Review addresses one of the hardest open challenges in the interpretation of experimental data: the lack of a truly first-principles theory that can describe consistently both structure and reaction processes. Rotureau highlights recent steps in deriving an ab inito optical potential using the coupled cluster method (that, together with SCGF, is one of the two possible approaches to this problem).

We are really grateful to all the scientists participating in this project and hope that the reader will enjoy this Topical Review.

Author Contributions

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The handling editor declared a past co-authorship with one of the authors SP.

Keywords: Ab initio (calculations), nuclear theory, nuclear reactions, effective field theories, many-body physics, nuclear structure

Citation: Coraggio L, Pastore S and Barbieri C (2021) Editorial: The Future of Nuclear Structure: Challenges and Opportunities in the Microscopic Description of Nuclei. Front. Phys. 8 :626976. doi: 10.3389/fphy.2020.626976

Received: 07 November 2020; Accepted: 20 November 2020; Published: 05 February 2021.

Edited and Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2021 Coraggio, Pastore and Barbieri. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Luigi Coraggio, [email protected] ; Saori Pastore, [email protected] ; Carlo Barbieri, [email protected]

This article is part of the Research Topic

The Future of Nuclear Structure: Challenges and Opportunities in the Microscopic Description of Nuclei

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Title: status and perspectives of neutrino physics.

Abstract: This review demonstrates the unique role of the neutrino by discussing in detail the physics of and with neutrinos. We deal with neutrino sources, neutrino oscillations, absolute masses, interactions, the possible existence of sterile neutrinos, and theoretical implications. In addition, synergies of neutrino physics with other research fields are found, and requirements to continue successful neutrino physics in the future, in terms of technological developments and adequate infrastructures, are stressed.

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Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

At michigan state university, frib professorial assistant earns goldwater scholarship.

Aaron Philip, a professorial assistant at FRIB, has earned a  Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship , becoming Michigan State University’s fifty-fifth Goldwater Scholar.

The Goldwater Foundation seeks sophomores and juniors committed to a research career in STEM fields with the potential for significant future contribution in their chosen field. The award provides $7,500 per year in funding for 51 students for undergraduate tuition and living expenses.

For the 2024 Goldwater Scholarship competition, 1,353 undergraduates were nominated by 446 institutions. Philip was among 438 scholars selected. The funding for the award is a collaboration between the U.S. Congress and the Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program.

Philip is a second-year Michigan State University student from Los Alamos, New Mexico studying Physics and Advanced Mathematics in the College of Natural Science. He is also a member of the Honors College.

“I am honored and humbled to join the ranks of Spartan Goldwater Scholars. I share this recognition with my professors, research mentors, fellow students, and family who have all supported me and cultivated my passion to pursue a career in physics research,” Philip said. “Specifically, I would like to thank my research mentors over the past few years for their guidance, encouragement, and mentorship: Drs. Pablo Giuliani, Kyle Godbey, Witek Nazarewicz, Odelia Schwartz, Jianliang Qian, and Benjamin Nebgen.”

Philip is passionate about pursuing a career in research addressing micro-scale physics problems using analytic approaches, high performance computing, and AI. He has contributed to diverse research projects through his roles as a professorial assistant at FRIB, a Discovering America researcher with MSU’s Math Department, a student intern at the Theoretical Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and as a Computer Science Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) student at the University of Miami.

“Aaron joined our nuclear theory research group at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University in August 2022 as an undergraduate research assistant. An incoming first-year undergraduate student, he came extremely well prepared to directly work in forefront research and quickly managed to get acquainted with the necessary tools and background knowledge,” Kyle Godbey, a research assistant professor at FRIB, and Witold Nazarewicz, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Physics and chief scientist at FRIB, said.

“During the course of his work, Aaron was able to reach a level of mastery of theoretical and computational methods on par with the current experts in the field. We consider ourselves to be incredibly lucky to have Aaron as a member of our research group and we have no doubt that he will go on to have a successful research career,” Godbey and Nazarewicz said.

“Aaron’s research at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams has been exemplary, and his mentorship activities embody the values of care and support that empower excellence at the MSU Honors College. We congratulate Aaron on being named a Goldwater Scholar,” Long said.

Philip has written two papers and presented at various conferences, including MSU’s Mathematics and Data Science Conferences, the University of Miami’s Computer Science REU Poster Presentation, and a LANL Lab Directed Research and Development Review. He also serves as a student tutor through the Mathematics Learning Center and at East Lansing High School.

“Congratulations to Aaron on this esteemed achievement,” said FRIB Laboratory Director Thomas Glasmacher. “Being named a Goldwater Scholar is a testament to Aaron’s dedication and outstanding efforts. We are so proud he is furthering his research pursuits at FRIB and honored to be part of his journey as he prepares to become a leader in our field.”

Read the original article on the  MSUToday website .

Michigan State University operates the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics.

Recent research activities of division of nuclear physics

• Original Paper - Particles and Nuclei
• Published: 26 January 2023
• Volume 82 , pages 607–612, ( 2023 )

Cite this article

• Myung-Ki Cheoun 1  

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I review the recent development of research groups of the Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) in the Korean Physical Society (KPS) during the 2000s for commemorating the 50 year history of the DNP in the KPS. Since detailed research activities in each field of the DNP are introduced in other papers of this special issue, this review is focused on the main research groups, RISP (Rare Isotope Science Project) for the RAON accelerator, CENS (Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies) in the IBS (Institute of Basic Science) for the application of the RAON accelerator, CENuM (Center for Extreme Nuclear Matters) by the SRC (Scientific Research Center) Program, OMEG (Origin of Matter and Evolution of Galaxy) Institute by the Key Research Center in Universities Program, and other international research activities.

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1 Introduction

Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) in the Korean Physical Society (KPS) was first established in 1972 with 16 preparatory members, including Professors Se-hee Ahn (1st chair), Jeong-heum Kim (2nd chair) and Hyun-chang Kim (3rd chair), and has a history of 50 years in 2022. Since detailed developments in each field of the DNP are introduced in other papers of this special issue, in this article, I focus mainly on the recent development of research groups of the DNP in the 2000s. During the twenty-first century, nuclear physics in Korea developed in earnest in the fields of high-energy nuclear physics, low-energy nuclear physics, hadron physics, and applied nuclear physics. The government research budget has increased significantly compared to the past, which made it possible to build research infrastructures such as large experimental facilities, research centers, and an environment in which graduate students and young scientists can concentrate on their research. This epoch could be remembered as the renaissance of nuclear physics in Korea, during which many Ph.D. have been produced, and the research activities of young researchers have become active. In the field of experimental nuclear physics, the contributions from Korean scientists have increased dramatically in the 2000s using world-class accelerators. Thanks to their contributions and experiences, the ’Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP)’ was launched in 2011, and currently, the rare isotope accelerator, ’RAON’ is under construction. The RISP has brought a notable increase in human and material resources for domestic research in the field of nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics and have greatly contributed to the fields of low-energy nuclear physics and high-energy nuclear physics through the development of world-class advanced detectors and the training of young scientists.

In addition, what is remarkable is that lots of group research by domestic researchers are being established. Center for Extreme Nuclear Matters (CENuM) was launched in 2018 as a Science Research Center (SRC) project of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies (CENS) in the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) is also started 2019. Origin of Matter and Evolution of Galaxy (OMEG) institute was also established in 2021 as a key university research institute project by the Ministry of Education. They play important roles as the scientific bases for domestic nuclear physics research.

We also note that collaborative researches with other fields of physics are promoted with the Center for Underground Physics (CUP) at IBS for the field of dark matter research, including double beta decay and neutrino physics, and the recent SRC for neutrino research at Chonnam University. The accumulated knowledge and know-how in nuclear physics could be very helpful for interpreting lots of cosmological and astrophysical data from the rapidly developing multi-messenger astronomy. Such collaborations and their mutual achievements will be more active in the next 20–30 years.

This special issue is divided into four main fields; hadron physics, high-energy nuclear physics, low-energy nuclear physics, and application of nuclear physics. For each field, a couple of papers are invited to present a short overview of recent activities and results contributed by Korean physicists to discuss the recent development of each research field. Therefore, in this article, I focus just on the main research groups, RISP, CENS, CENuM, and OMEG.

2 Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP)

The present (visible) universe evolved from some light nuclei created immediately after the Big Bang, known as the moment of the universe. Other heavy nuclei are thought to be produced in various stellar evolutions along the evolution of the universe. The RAON facility under construction by the RISP opens new possibilities to investigate the origin of cosmic elements, the evolution of stars, and the nature of nuclear forces and nuclear structure by producing lots of unstable nuclei. Other sciences, including material sciences, atomic physics, biomedical sciences, and interdisciplinary sciences, can be studied using the rare isotopes produced by the RAON facility. In 2003, Dong-Pil Min, who was the Director of the Information Center for Physics Research at Seoul National University, initiated the first study of the pre-conceptual design of a rare isotope accelerator with Chun-Sik Lee, as the principal investigator, who made the ’Plan for the Establishment of the National Laboratory’ for Nuclear science in Korea together with several researchers [ 1 ].

In 2004, Dong-Pil Min conducted a governmental project supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, ’Establishment of National Research Structure on Nuclear Science’, as the principal investigator with several researchers [ 2 ]. As a result of these efforts, in 2008, the ’International Science Business Belt (ISBB)’ project was planned officially by the KISTEP, and the heavy-ion accelerator project was started together with other projects. As one of the sub-contract projects, Seung-Woo Hong conducted a planning project for the heavy-ion accelerator as a principal investigator with several researchers [ 3 ]. Along with the planning project, from April 2010 by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, ’Concept design project of Rare Isotope Acceleration and Utilization Research Facility’ was carried out by Seung-Woo Hong as the principal investigator together with about 200 researchers [ 4 ]. At that time, the name of the heavy-ion accelerator was KoRIA (Korea Rare Isotope Accelerator) suggested by Seonho Choi. At the end of 2011, the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) was established, and the ’Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP)’ [ 5 ] for the heavy-ion accelerator construction was also launched based on the conceptual design report. For the successful utilization of the accelerator, a project to promote user groups of the accelerator was also planned and started in the following fields.

KoBRA (Korea Broad acceptance Recoil spectrometer and Apparatus): Study of exotic nuclear structures and reactions

LAMPS (Large Acceptance Multi-Purpose Spectrometer): Study of symmetric energy research important for understanding neutron stars and rare isotopes

MMS/MR-TOF (Mass Measurement System/Multi-Reflection Time-of-Flight): Study of precise mass measurement

CLS (Collinear Laser Spectroscopy): Study of the size and shape of rare isotopes through the interplay between atomic and nuclear physics

\(\mu \) SR (Muon Spin Relaxation/Resonance/Rotation): Measurement of local magnetic properties inside materials

NDPS (Nuclear Data Production System): Neutron science and nuclear data study for the production of precise nuclear reaction data

BIS (Beam Irradiation System for Bio-Medical Research): Irradiation of heavy-ion beams to study the effects of heavy ions for bio and medical research purposes

Theory: Nuclear physics theory for the application of the RAON accelerator

In 2021, the installation of low-energy superconducting linear accelerator (SCL3), ISOL systems, and experimental systems such as the KoBRA were completed. The commissioning of the SCL3 is being done at this moment in 2022. Extraction of rare isotope (RI) beams from the ISOL system and acceleration of them through the SCL3 is expected in 2023. The experimental systems of RAON are displayed in Fig. 1 . The details of the RAON project are discussed in other papers of this special issue.

Seven experimental systems of RAON : KoBRA, LAMPS, MMS/MR-TOF, CLS, \(\mu \) SR, NDPS, and BIS

3 Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies (CENS)

In December 2019, the Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies (CENS) was launched at the headquarters of IBS in Daejeon [ 6 ]. Kevin Insik Hahn was appointed as the Director for his expertise and outstanding research ability in the field of nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics using RI accelerators. The aims of CENS are to discover new rare isotopes and to elucidate the basic properties of rare nuclei and the origin of cosmic elements. CENS is the largest center for studying nuclear physics in Korea. At present, it comprises about  30 excellent domestic and international researchers with extensive experiences in nuclear physics, especially for the experiments relevant to RI physics. The Center consists of three experimental groups and one theoretical group. The experimental groups are currently conducting original experiments using overseas RI accelerators. At the same time, detector development and preparation for Day-1 experiments at the RAON facility are vigorously underway. The nuclear structure group is led by Chang-Bum Moon. The nuclear astrophysics experiment group, led by Sunghoon Ahn, is studying the origin of heavy elements, especially in explosive cosmological objects, by exploring the rapid proton and neutron capture processes that occur in explosive cosmological objects such as supernovae. Deuk-Soon Ahn is the leader of the nuclear reaction group conducting various nuclear reaction experiments using the ISOL or IF facility. Tae-Sun Park is a nuclear theory group leader who conducts a nuclear reaction theory model for the world-class study of nuclear properties with the close collaboration of domestic and international scholars. In addition to the group leaders mentioned above, Yunghee Kim, Dahee Kim, Sunji Kim, Byul Moon, Joochun Park, Sunghan Bae, Soomi Cha, Jongwon Hwang, Laszlo Stuhl, Zeren Korkulu and Xesus Pereira-Lopez are participating in the experimental groups of CENS. In the field of theory group, Myungkuk Kim, Soonchul Choi, Qiang Zhao, and Minh Loc Bui are working. CENS continues to recruit excellent researchers. Details of research activities at CENS are reported in another paper on this special issue.

4 Center for Extreme Nuclear Matters (CENnM)

The National Research Foundation of Korea has supported the leading research center program since 1990. It consists of the Science Research Center (SRC), the Engineering Research Center (ERC), and the Medical Research Center (MRC). The Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) made great efforts to host an SRC by applying for the program six times from 2003 with the host institutes at Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, and Inha University, but all failed. Finally, in 2018, Byungsik Hong of Korea University applied for the program with the Center for Extreme Nuclear Matters (CENuM) [ 7 ], which was the realization of the collective efforts by DNP. At that time, the CENuM was the largest research center in nuclear physics in Korea, aside from the RAON accelerator project.

The CENuM consists of three groups, the quark-gluon plasma (Group 1), the nucleon structure (Group 2), and the dense matter and exotic nuclei relevant to the RAON physics (Group 3). The participants of Group 1 are Min Jung Kweon at Inha Univ., Sungtae Cho at Kangwon National Univ., and Yongsun Kim at Sejong Univ. The participants of Group 2 are Hyun-Chul Kim at Inha Univ., Jung-Keun Ahn at Korea Univ., and Seung-il Nam at Pukyong National Univ. The 3rd group consists of Byungsik Hong, Kyungsik Kim at Korea Aerospace Univ., and Changho Hyun at Daegu Univ. CENuM is actively participating in the overseas heavy-ion accelerator experiments at CERN, BNL, J-PARC, RIKEN, GANIL, and NSCL/FRIB. At the same time, CENuM is also participating in the preparation of the LAMPS detector system at RAON. The major responsibility of CENuM at LAMPS is to complete the neutron detector array, the barrel and forward time-of-flight and trigger arrays, and the starting counters.

Fast-timing LaBr \(_{3}\) \(\gamma \) detector system KHALA developed by CENuM for the low-energy radioactive ion beam experiments

On the other hand, CENuM has also developed and constructed some advanced detector systems for the low-energy experiments at RAON because the delivery of the high-energy radioactive ion beams from RAON requires some more years. Some examples are the fast-timing LaBr \(_{3}\) \(\gamma \) -ray detector system KHALA as shown in Fig.  2 , the superconducting magnet with the maximum field strength of 1.5 T, and the active-target time-projection chamber (AT-TPC). Furthermore, for the measurement of the nuclear isotope fragments, CENuM is also developing silicon detectors with various thicknesses and dedicated electronics with the FAZIA Collaboration in Europe.

Meanwhile, the theoretical researchers in CENuM are developing a non-perturbing effective quantum mechanics model and a specific energy density functional model that can properly describe the experimental results. Eventually, these efforts will provide the theoretical framework to understand the nuclear phase diagram with an additional degree of freedom on isospin and dense nuclear matter like the core of the neutron stars.

5 Origin of Matter and Evolution of Galaxy (OMEG) Institute

As one of the group research projects supported by of the NRF of Korea, the programs for the Key Research Center in universities have contributed to the improvement of the university’s research capacity with the SRC and ERC program. In the case of nuclear physics research, in 2009, the ‘New Functional Imaging Research Institute’ led by Professor Chun-Sik Lee of Chungang University was launched and contributed to the education of young fellows in low-energy nuclear physics experiments. They are now playing important roles in the RAON project. In 2021, the Origin of Matter and Evolution of Galaxy (OMEG) Institute, led by Myung-Ki Cheoun of Soongsil University, was launched by the same program [ 8 ]. The institute based on nuclear physics was launched and focused on nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, hadron physics, and particle physics, including neutrino physics concentrating on the study of the origin of elements and dense matters in the universe with the simulation of the stellar evolution, the early universe as well as the nucleosynthesis in the universe.

A schematic view of research targets in OMEG Institute from Big Bang nucleosynthesis to the nucleosynthesis in the stellar evolution

It is composed of about 20 researchers (Sangho Kim, Jubin Park, Gilberto Ramalho, Tsuyoshi Miyatsu, Chaemin Yoon, Young-Shin Kwon, Myeong-Hwan Mun, Heamin Ko, Kiwan Park, and Jeong-Yeon Lee) and many graduate students with lots of domestic and foreign collaborators. Also, neutrino physics relevant to astrophysics is one of the main subjects of the institute. A schematic view of research fields in OMEG Institute is presented in Fig.  3 , which comprises the nucleosynthesis in the Big Bang epoch and various stellar evolution for the study of the origins of elements and compact stars using the astrophysical data from the multi-messenger astrophysics as well as terrestrial data from the RI accelerator facility.

6 Other international research activities

6.1 asian nuclear physics association (anpha).

In October 2008, researchers from South Korea, China, and Japan got together in Tokyo and agreed to promote the development of nuclear physics in Asia through close cooperation and exchanging people. In February 2009, the collaboration was reunited at Seoul National University to launch the association. The organization Asian Nuclear Physics Association (ANPhA), similar to NuPECC in the EU, was officially announced in Beijing on July 18, 2009. In the same meeting, Vietnam was added to the three founding nations, agreeing upon the efficient promotion of nuclear physics research and their facilities in the Asia-Pacific region. In this meeting, Dong-Pil Min, Wooyoung Kim, and Seung-Woo Hong were selected as the ANPhA board members on the Korean side. Until now, Byunggil Yu, Kevin Insik Hahn, Byungsik Hong, Jinhee Yoon, and Myung-Ki Cheoun have served as board members for Korea. The size of ANPhA has been expanded to 11 member countries and regions, including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Taiwan since its foundation.

From 2014 to 2016, Dong-Pil Min served as the chair of ANPhA. In 2015, DNP in KPS revised its by-laws in such a way that the chair of the DNP of KPS became an ex-officio member of the ANPhA board. In 2019 Byungsik Hong was elected as the vice chair. ANPhA holds a symposium and a board meeting once a year. The meeting was held at Sungkyunkwan University in 2009, Gyeongju in 2015, and Jeju Island in 2019 in Korea.

6.2 APCTP-BLTP JINR Joint Workshop

In 2007, the Director of APCTP, R. B. Laughlin (Stanford Univ.), Secretary-General of APCTP, Seunghwan Kim (POSTECH), Director of JINR (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research), A. N. Sissakian and Director of Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics (BLTP), V. V. Voronov, agreed to vitalize cooperation between Korean and Russian scientists. Since then, the APCTP-BLTP JINR Joint Workshop has been held annually since 2007, mainly with nuclear physics topics. It is held alternately in Russia and Korea. In 2019, the 13th workshop was held in Dubna, Russia. The 14th workshop was scheduled to be held in Korea in 2020, but it has been postponed due to COVID-19 and will be held in Korea in 2022.

Especially the 7th and 8th workshops were held in Irkutsk in Russia and Jeju Island in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Participating nations were expanded to member countries of APCTP and JINR, not just Korean and Russian scientists, so in the 8th workshop, ten physicists from Japan and China attended. These activities continued at Almaty, Kazakhstan, in the 9th workshop, which included 86 physicists from Korea, Russia, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. In the 10th workshop held at RIKEN, Japan, about 80 scientists from Korea, Russia, Japan, China, and Kazakhstan attended the event. The 11th workshop held in St. Petersburg was participated by about 60 scientists from Korea, Russia, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, and Spain. Also, in Busan, about 47 scientists from Korea, Russia, Japan, China, and Spain participated in the 12th workshop. In the 13th workshop held in Dubna, about 70 scientists attended from Korea, Russia, China, Bulgaria, and Norway.

As mentioned earlier, during the 13 workshops, lots of joint research between scientists from both countries have done not only in nuclear physics but also other physics fields relevant to nuclear physics. It is expected that such joint activities will actively continue through the workshop.

Not only the programs mentioned above but there are also many internal and international workshops supported by APCTP research programs (Categories 1–4). One of them is the biannual APCTP-Canada joint workshop, which has contributed to the collaboration project of the two countries in nuclear physics.

During the past decade, the DNP of the KPS has been very active not only in scientific research and achievements but also in the development of research facilities such as RAON and detector systems. RAON plays the role of momentum for the future of the DNP by generating research activities in nuclear physics and attracting the next generation. All these accomplishments are due to the contribution of the DNP members. Based on the present progress and achievements, the next decade will be another big step for the progress of nuclear physics to have a better understanding of nuclear forces and nuclei.

C.S. Lee, Plan for the Establishment of the National Laboratory for Nuclear Science in Korea (2003) unpublished

D.-P. Min, Establishment of National Research Structure on Nuclear Science (2004) unpublished

S.W. Hong, Planning for the construction of a heavy-ion accelerator (2010) unpublished

S.W. Hong, Conceptual Design Report: Korea Rare Isotope Accelerator (2011) unpublished

https://risp.ibs.re.kr/html/risp_kr/

https://ibs.re.kr/cens/

https://cenum.korea.ac.kr/

https://omeg.ssu.ac.kr/

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the JKPS and all of the DNP members for this special issue. Also I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all of authors of the papers in this issue and specially to Dr. Sunji Kim and Prof. Min Jung Kweon who have done hard works for this special issue. Finally, this work is greatly indebted to Prof. Seung-Woo Hong in RISP, Prof. Kevin Insik Hahn in CENS and Prof. Byungsik Hong in CENuM. The work is supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (Grant No. NRF-2021R1A6A1A03043957).

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Cheoun, MK. Recent research activities of division of nuclear physics. J. Korean Phys. Soc. 82 , 607–612 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40042-023-00719-8

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Received : 01 November 2022

Revised : 09 November 2022

Accepted : 10 November 2022

Published : 26 January 2023

Issue Date : March 2023

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40042-023-00719-8

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