SHESTRUCT · Understanding the structure and stability of heavy and superheavy elements

The aim of the project is to further our understanding of the structure and stability of atomic nuclei at the extreme upper end of the chart of the nuclides. One of the major goals of contemporary Nuclear Physics experiments is to locate and chart the fabled superheavy element ""Island of Stability"". Experiments which aim to directly produce the heaviest elements may provide only a limited number of observables, such as decay modes or half-lives. Detailed Nuclear Structure investigations provide extensive data which can be used as a stringent test of modern self-consistent theories. Such theories require input from the study of nuclei with extreme proton-to-neutron ratios. The upper part of the chart of the nuclides is one region in which this data is much sought after. The project will employ state-of-the-art spectrometers at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland (JYFL) to acquire such data. The spectrometers are part of a multi-national collaboration of European institutes. Results obtained in the course of the project will have a direct impact on current nuclear structure theories. The unique nature of the facilities at JYFL means that it will be impossible to obtain data of comparable quality elsewhere in the world. The project should yield a large number of publications and result in the training of several Ph.D students. The students will benefit from the fact that the Accelerator Laboratory is part of a large and well-respected University.""