VIRTUAL
 
Thursday, March 18th   2021
3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
WEBEX
 
Speaker:  Assoc. Prof Theo J. Mertzimekis 
Academy of Athens Laureate
Department of Physics | University of Athens
 
 
“Probing nuclear structure: Wild East vs Far West”
 
 
 
Abstract: 
110 years ago, the discovery of the nucleus by Rutherford has unlocked the doors of the atom and revealed the subatomic world. The nucleus has a central role in understanding how fundamental forces shape the Universe at all scales. The recent advent of Radioactive Ion Beams (RIB) offers new opportunities for reaching the edges of known matter by studying phenomena and structures never studied till today. Useful observables, such as nuclear moments and lifetimes, can probe the interactions among the basic nuclear constituents and reveal exotic phenomena at the edge of the nuclear chart. In this talk, a review of recent studies of nuclear structure carried out by our group at the University of Athens will be given in the context of examining nuclear shapes, shape transitions and shape coexistence.
In addition, spectroscopy works related to nuclear astrophysics questions will be discussed in some detail highlighting the role of smaller-scale facilities in exploring the secrets of our world.