5.2: Nucleonic Matter
Understand the structure of nucleonic matter. Other Information:
Nuclei are the core of atoms and account for almost all the observable matter in the world around us. The naturally occurring
stable nuclei are but a small fraction of the nuclei that can possibly exist. Most of the unstable nuclei (those that undergo
radioactive decay) cannot be created for study by existing experimental facilities. Investigating these nuclei, and in particular
those at the extreme limits of stability, offers a rich opportunity for major scientific discovery. Unbalanced neutron and
proton numbers decrease the stability of a nucleus. For example, there is a limit to the number of neutrons that can be added
to a nucleus of a given proton number (the nucleus of a given element). A similar stability limit for nuclei is reached if
the number of protons is increased relative to a fixed neutron number. Experiments have established which combinations of
protons and neutrons can form a nucleus only for the first eight of the more than 100 known elements, but little is known
about the limits of stability for the heaviest nuclei. The coming decade in nuclear physics may reveal nuclear phenomena and
structure unlike anything known in the stable nuclei making up the world around us. New theoretical tools will be developed
to describe nuclear many-body phenomena, with important applications to condensed matter and nuclear astrophysics. Our strategy
includes the following emphases: • Investigate new regions of nuclear structure and develop the nuclear many-body theory to
predict nuclear properties. • Develop a next-generation facility with forefront experimental instrumentation that will use
beams of rare isotopes to study nuclei at the very limits of stability. This facility will provide the tools for understanding
nuclear structure evolution across the entire landscape of the chart of the nuclides.
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