Project Details
SFB 634: Nuclear Structure, Nuclear Astrophysics and Fundamental Experiments at Low Momentum Transfer at the Superconducting Darmstadt Electron Accelerator S-DALINAC
Subject Area
Physics
Term
from 2003 to 2015
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5485852
The Collaborative Research Centre aims at an understanding of the structure of nuclei and its impact on astrophysical processes. The experiments focus on the study of nuclear excitations with real and virtual photons using the Superconducting Darmstadt Electron Accelerator S-DALINAC. They provide a detailed understanding of the nuclear charge and current distributions and thus enable to test descriptions of nuclear dynamics in the context of modern many body theory. Furthermore, the experiments provide information on various aspects of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis otherwise hardly accessible. For example, cross sections for the gamma-process responsible for the production of proton-rich, heavy nuclei as well as for neutrino-induced nucleosynthesis can be measured. Finally, the late stages of a massive star and its route to a supernova explosion are governed by the excitation of elementary nuclear modes whose properties are elucidated in electron scattering.
The experimental programme is strongly linked to theoretical work based on fundamental developments in the many-body theory. Their goal is to describe as realistic as possible the ground state properties and the excitation spectrum and to provide quantitative predictions for nuclei under extreme conditions as well as for homogeneous nuclear and neutron matter. Also, experimental and theoretical investigations in the field of quantum chaos are carried out using two- and three-dimensional microwave billiards which show the same generic spectral behaviour as found e.g. in nuclei.
The recent development of an effective field theory based on a chiral symmetry of the underlying strong force calls for precision data on properties of the nucleon and few-body systems at low energies and momentum transfers, well in the range of the S-DALINAC parameters. Thus, a series of experiments is planned on the radius of the proton, the electric and magnetic polarisabilities of the proton and neutron, and on nucleon correlations in few-body systems like 2D and 3He.
Finally, the further development of the accelerator, its beam transport system and diagnosis is a central issue. Several goals are envisaged: to integrate an online simulation of the beam dynamics, to replace the current monitoring and control system by a system based on integrated circuits, and an energy and intensity increase of the machine. Also, a source of polarised electrons is currently under construction.
The experimental programme is strongly linked to theoretical work based on fundamental developments in the many-body theory. Their goal is to describe as realistic as possible the ground state properties and the excitation spectrum and to provide quantitative predictions for nuclei under extreme conditions as well as for homogeneous nuclear and neutron matter. Also, experimental and theoretical investigations in the field of quantum chaos are carried out using two- and three-dimensional microwave billiards which show the same generic spectral behaviour as found e.g. in nuclei.
The recent development of an effective field theory based on a chiral symmetry of the underlying strong force calls for precision data on properties of the nucleon and few-body systems at low energies and momentum transfers, well in the range of the S-DALINAC parameters. Thus, a series of experiments is planned on the radius of the proton, the electric and magnetic polarisabilities of the proton and neutron, and on nucleon correlations in few-body systems like 2D and 3He.
Finally, the further development of the accelerator, its beam transport system and diagnosis is a central issue. Several goals are envisaged: to integrate an online simulation of the beam dynamics, to replace the current monitoring and control system by a system based on integrated circuits, and an energy and intensity increase of the machine. Also, a source of polarised electrons is currently under construction.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
Completed projects
- A01 - Nuclear Structure with Real Photons (Project Heads Pietralla, Norbert Andreas ; Scheck, Marcus ; Schnorrenberger, Linda ; Werner, Volker ; Zilges, Andreas )
- A02 - Nuclear Structure with Virtual Photons (Project Heads von Neumann-Cosel, Peter ; Pietralla, Norbert Andreas )
- B01 - Nuclear Astrophysics with Real Photons (Project Heads Aumann, Thomas ; Scheit, Ph.D., Heiko ; Simon, Haik ; Zilges, Andreas )
- C01 - Polarizability of the Nucleon (Project Heads Richter, Achim ; Schrieder, Gerhard )
- C02 - Electron Scattering on Few Nucleon Systems (Project Heads Kröll, Thorsten ; von Neumann-Cosel, Peter ; Shevchenko, Artem )
- C04 - Quantum Chaos and Wave-Dynamical Chaos (Project Heads Dietz-Pilatus, Barbara ; Richter, Achim )
- C05 - Experiments with Polarized Electrons and Photons (Project Heads Enders, Joachim ; Pietralla, Norbert Andreas )
- D01 - Theoretical Nuclear Structure Physics (Project Heads Roth, Robert ; Schwenk, Achim )
- D01 - Ground-state Properties of Nuclei from a Renormalization-Group Approach to Density Functional Theory (Project Head Braun, Jens )
- D02 - Nuclear Structure Research of Relevance to the Experimental Programme (Project Heads Roth, Robert ; Wambach, Jochen )
- D03 - Theoretical Nuclear Astrophysics (Project Heads Martinez-Pinedo, Gabriel ; Schwenk, Achim )
- D04 - Strongly Interacting Fermion Systems: Graphene (Project Heads Berges, Jürgen ; von Smekal, Lorenz )
- E01 - Accelerator Control System (Project Heads Ackermann, Wolfgang ; Eichhorn, Ralf ; Hug, Florian ; Platz, Markus )
- E02 - Increase of Energy and Intensity (Project Heads Eichhorn, Ralf ; Hug, Florian ; Müller, Wolfgang F.O. )
- E03 - Energy Spread and -Stability (Project Heads Gräf, Hans-Dieter ; Weiland, Thomas )
- E04 - New Injector Concept (Project Heads Enders, Joachim ; Roth, Markus )
- MGK - Integrated Research Training Group (Project Heads Pietralla, Norbert Andreas ; Schwenk, Achim ; Weiland, Thomas )
- Z - Central Tasks (Project Heads Brunken, Marco ; Pietralla, Norbert Andreas ; Weiland, Thomas )
- Z03 - Provision of an efficient IT Infrastrukture (Project Head Titze, Otto )
Applicant Institution
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Participating Institution
GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH
Spokesperson
Professor Dr. Norbert Andreas Pietralla