B03 “Investigation of Heavy Neutron-Rich Nuclei for Elucidating the Mechanism of Heavy Element Synthesis”

B03 “Investigation of Heavy Neutron-Rich Nuclei for Elucidating the Mechanism of Heavy Element Synthesis”

Have you ever wondered how heavy elements like gold, platinum, uranium, or the lanthanides – so common in our daily lives – were formed?

This research seeks to uncover the origins of these elements by studying the r-process, a rapid-neutron capture process that occurs in the extreme environments of the universe, such as supernovae and neutron star mergers. We focus on the behavior of neutron-rich radioactive isotopes (RIs) which play a key role in this process.

• At RIKEN’s RIBF facility, we use powerful radioactive ion beams and cutting-edge equipment to precisely measure the masses and decay properties of these are isotopes.
• The data we gather – high in precision and quantity – will be used to improve theoretical models that calculate the properties of thousands of atomic nuclei, including many we’ve never observed before.
• This information helps us better understand how heavy elements are created in cosmic events and allows us to compare our results with the elemental compositions found in the solar system, ancient stars, and meteorites – offering new clues about the history of the universe.