The extreme light infrastructure-nuclear physics (ELI-NP) facility: new horizons in physics with 10 PW ultra-intense lasers and 20 MeV brilliant gamma beams.

The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has selected in 2006 a proposal based on ultra-intense laser fields with intensities reaching up to 1022-1023 W cm-2 called 'ELI' for Extreme Light Infrastructure. The construction of a large-scale laser-centred, distributed pan-European research infrastructure, involving beyond the state-of-the-art ultra-short and ultra-intense laser technologies, received the approval for funding in 2011-2012. The three pillars of the ELI facility are being built in Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. The Romanian pillar is ELI-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP). The new facility is intended to serve a broad national, European and International science community. Its mission covers scientific research at the frontier of knowledge involving two domains. The first one is laser-driven experiments related to nuclear physics, strong-field quantum electrodynamics and associated vacuum effects. The second is based on a Compton backscattering high-brilliance and intense low-energy gamma beam (<20 MeV), a marriage of laser and accelerator technology which will allow us to investigate nuclear structure and reactions as well as nuclear astrophysics with unprecedented resolution and accuracy. In addition to fundamental themes, a large number of applications with significant societal impact are being developed. The ELI-NP research centre will be located in Magurele near Bucharest, Romania. The project is implemented by 'Horia Hulubei' National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH). The project started in January 2013 and the new facility will be fully operational by the end of 2019. After a short introduction to multi-PW lasers and multi-MeV brilliant gamma beam scientific and technical description of the future ELI-NP facility as well as the present status of its implementation of ELI-NP, will be presented. The science and examples of societal applications at reach with these electromagnetic probes with much improved performances provided at this new facility will be discussed with a special focus on day-one experiments and associated novel instrumentation.

Validating a MCNPX model of Mg(Ar) and TE(TE) ionisation chambers exposed to 60CO gamma rays.

For an accurate determination of the absorbed doses in complex radiation fields (e.g. mixed neutron-gamma fields), a better interpretation of the response of ionisation chambers is required. This study investigates a model of the ionisation chambers using a different approach, analysing the collected charge per minute as a response of the detector instead of the dose. The MCNPX Monte Carlo code is used. In this paper, the model is validated using a well-known irradiation field only: a (60)Co source. The detailed MCNPX models of a Mg(Ar) and TE(TE) ionisation chamber is investigated comparing the measured charge per minute obtained free-in-air and in a water phantom with the simulated results. The difference between the calculations and the measurements for the TE(TE) chamber is within +/-2% whereas for the Mg(Ar) chamber is around +7%. The systematic discrepancy in the case of Mg(Ar) chamber is expected to be caused by an overestimation of the sensitive volume.

Phonons and Phase Transitions in Finite Nuclei.

The nature and evolution of collectivity and coherence in nuclei is one of the most fundamental issues in nuclear structure and its evolution with N and Z. Despite many experiments, the nature of nuclear vibrational modes in deformed nuclei and the nature of nuclear phase/shape transitions are not at all understood. We discuss new experiments on phonon and multi-phonon states in the rare earth nuclei and on new evidence for phase coexistence in Sm that relates to the possible existence of phase transitional behavior in finite nuclei.

Gamma-ray fast-timing coincidence measurements from the 18O+18O fusion-evaporation reaction using a mixed LaBr3-HPGe array.

We report on a gamma-ray coincidence analysis using a mixed array of hyperpure germanium and cerium-doped lanthanum tri-bromide (LaBr3:Ce) scintillation detectors to study nuclear electromagnetic transition rates in the pico-to-nanosecond time regime in 33,34P and 33S following fusion-evaporation reactions between an 18O beam and an isotopically enriched 18O implanted tantalum target. Energies from decay gamma-rays associated with the reaction residues were measured in event-by-event coincidence mode, with the measured time difference information between the pairs of gamma-rays in each event also recorded using the ultra-fast coincidence timing technique. The experiment used the good full-energy peak resolution of the LaBr3:Ce detectors coupled with their excellent timing responses in order to determine the excited state lifetime associated with the lowest lying, cross-shell, Iπ=4- "intruder" state previously reported in the N=19 isotone 34P. The extracted lifetime is consistent with a mainly single-particle M2 multipolarity associated with a f7/2→d5/2 single particle transition.

First nuclear moment measurement with radioactive beams by the recoil-in-vacuum technique: the g factor of the 2+1 state in 132Te.

Following Coulomb excitation of the radioactive ion beam (RIB) 132Te at HRIBF we report the first use of the recoil-in-vacuum (RIV) method to determine the g factor of the 2(+)(1) state: g(973.9 keV 2(+) 132Te) = (+)0.35(5). The advantages offered by the RIV method in the context of RIBs and modern detector arrays are discussed.

Quantum phase transitions in mesoscopic systems.

Quantum phase transitions in mesoscopic systems are studied. It is shown that the main features of phase transitions, defined for infinite number of particles, N--> infinity, persist even for moderate N approximately 10. A Landau analysis of first order transitions is done and a "critical" exponent at the spinodal point is defined. Two order parameters are introduced to distinguish first from second order transitions. Applications to atomic nuclei, molecules, atomic clusters, and finite polymers are mentioned. Experimental evidence in atomic nuclei is presented.

Empirical realization of a critical point description in atomic nuclei.

It is shown that (152)Sm and other N = 90 isotones are the first empirical manifestation of the newly predicted analytic description of nuclei at the critical point of a vibrator to axial rotor phase transition.

Experimental confirmation of the Alhassid-Whelan arc of regularity.

Evidence is presented to show that a group of nuclei, spanning a range of structures, corresponds to a previously proposed isolated region of regular behavior between vibrational and rotational structures that was never before observed empirically. Nuclei predicted to show such regular spectra correspond to Hamiltonian parameters that lie amidst those giving more chaotic spectra. We identify a key observable that has a one-to-one correspondence to this arc of regularity and which therefore provides both an empirical signature for it and a clue to its underlying nature.

Chiral doublet structures in odd-odd n = 75 isotones: chiral vibrations.

New sideband partners of the yrast bands built on the pi(h11/2)nu(h11/2) configuration were identified in 55Cs, 57La, and 61Pm N = 75 isotones of 134Pr. These bands form with 134Pr unique doublet-band systematics suggesting a common basis. Aplanar solutions of 3D tilted axis cranking calculations for triaxial shapes define left- and right-handed chiral systems out of the three angular momenta provided by the valence particles and the core rotation, which leads to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking and the doublet bands. Small energy differences between the doublet bands suggest collective chiral vibrations.

Signature for vibrational to rotational evolution along the yrast line.

We present a simple method for discerning the evolution from vibrational to rotational structure in nuclei as a function of spin. The prescription is applied to the yrast cascades in the A approximately 110 region and a clear transition from vibrational to rotational motion is found.

B(E2) values in 150Nd and the critical point symmetry X(5).

Lifetimes of states in 150Nd were measured using the recoil distance method following Coulomb excitation of 150Nd by a 132 MeV 32S beam. The experiment was performed at the Yale Tandem accelerator, employing the SPEEDY gamma-ray detector array and the New Yale Plunger Device. Reduced transition probabilities in 150Nd are compared to the predictions of the critical point symmetry X(5) of the phase/shape transition that occurs for the N = 90 rare earth isotones. Very good agreement was observed between the parameter-free (apart from scale) X(5) predictions and the low-spin level scheme of 150Nd, revealing this as the best case thus far for the realization of the X(5) symmetry.

Coulomb excitation of radioactive 132,134,136Te beams and the low B(E2) of 136Te.

The B(E2;0(+)-->2+) values for the first 2+ excited states of neutron-rich 132,134,136Te have been measured using Coulomb excitation of radioactive ion beams. The B(E2) values obtained for 132,134Te are in excellent agreement with expectations based on the systematics of heavy stable Te isotopes, while that for 136Te is unexpectedly small. These results are discussed in terms of proton-neutron configuration mixing and shell-model calculations using realistic effective interactions.