Argonne scientists develop way to predict properties
of light nuclei
May help understand origins of elements
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ARGONNE, Ill. (May 21, 2008) – Scientists have spent 70 years trying to predict
the properties of nuclei, but have had to settle for approximate models because
computational techniques were not equal to the task.
Funding for this research was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office
of Science, Office of Nuclear
Physics. The mission of the Nuclear Physics program is to foster
fundamental research in nuclear physics that will provide new insights
and advance our knowledge on the nature of matter and energy and develop
the scientific knowledge, technologies and trained workforce that are
needed to underpin the Department of Energy's missions for nuclear-related
national security, energy, and environmental quality. The program provides
world-class, peer-reviewed research results and operates user accelerator
facilities in the scientific disciplines encompassed by the Nuclear Physics
mission areas under the mandate provided in Public Law 95-91 that established
the department. |
In the 1990s, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne
National Laboratory and elsewhere succeeded in breaking through the computational
barrier to provide accurate predictions of light nuclei based on how individual
neutrons and protons interact with each other. Now they are learning to compute
what happens when nuclei collide.
"We have new tools that should allow us to compute nuclear reaction rates
that determine how the stars work and how the nuclei around us are made in
the universe," physicist Ken Nollett said.
Predicting nuclear properties requires elaborate calculations in light elements
such as helium, but it becomes increasingly complicated in heavier elements.
Using advanced mathematical models and sophisticated computers, Argonne scientists
have been able to predict the properties of elements up to carbon-12.
Extending these calculations to include colliding nuclei will help to understand
the origins of the elements and the insides of stars, where such collisions
occur. Studies of stars and element production rely on collision properties
provided by complicated experiments. Nollett's calculations will supplement
these experiments, maybe even making some of them unnecessary.
"Astrophysics depends on these difficult experiments," Nollett said. "Our
calculations should provide another way to get that information."
Funding for this research was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office
of Science, Office of Nuclear
Physics. The mission of the Nuclear Physics program
is to foster fundamental research in nuclear physics that will provide new
insights and advance our knowledge on the nature of matter and energy and develop
the scientific knowledge, technologies and trained workforce that are needed
to underpin the Department of Energy's missions for nuclear-related national
security, energy, and environmental quality. The program provides world-class,
peer-reviewed research results and operates user accelerator facilities in
the scientific disciplines encompassed by the Nuclear Physics mission areas
under the mandate provided in Public Law 95-91 that established the department.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology.
The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic
and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne
researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities,
and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific
problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for
a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed
by UChicago
Argonne, LLC for
the U.S.
Department of Energy's Office
of Science.
For more information, please
contact Brock Cooper (630/252-5565 or media@anl.gov)
at Argonne.
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