Kanungo, Rituparna (Saint Mary’s University)

Purpose

Searching for our origins has been one of mankind's greatest quests. Nuclei form the core of all matter. Their properties determine their interactions, allowing for the creation of elements necessary for our survival. It is through cascade of reactions of nuclei in the core of stars that key elements such as carbon, oxygen, iron and calcium that are necessary for our survival, came into being. Some environments in the universe are such that nuclei there have largely asymmetric ratio of neutrons to protons. Therefore, these neutron-proton asymmetric nuclei form the pathways to existence of majority of the matter, particularly heavy elements, that we see around us. The neutron-proton asymmetric nuclei are unfolding before us an unexpectedly new view of the nucleus, questioning and challenging our century-old knowledge of nuclei and nuclear forces. Unraveling the secrets of these exotic nuclei is now the forefront research activity in nuclear physics worldwide. These nuclei being very short-lived do not exist in natural way on earth. Over the last two decades scientists have made a remarkable achievement to produce these rare isotopes in the laboratory through nuclear reactions. This research program uses accelerated beams of such rare isotopes to step out of the restricted knowledge we have from stable nuclear species on earth.