The ALICE experiment is devoted to the study of nuclear matter under extreme conditions of temperature and density. It is specially designed to test the fundamental theory of the strong interaction, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), which predicts the existence of this new state of matter, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP).
Objectives
There are still some open question concerning the formation of our Universe.
Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering experiment at Jefferson Lab Hall B , with CLAS12, large acceptance spectrometer.
Goals:
Theoretical concepts as Generalized Parton Distributions (GPD), enable to probe with a dramatic accuracy the nucleon structure, and access the quark confinement in hadrons.
Reaction studies with Relativistic Radioactive Beams
Goals of the experiment
The R3B experiment is part of the FAIR project (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research, http://www.gsi.de/fair) to be built at GSI (Darmstadt, Germany). The FAIR project gathers different physics around a common facility: exotic nuclei at low and high energy, hadronic physics with proton – antiproton collisions, relativistic heavy-ion collisions (a few 10 GeV per nucleon), plasma physics and atomic physics.
Objectives
Study of deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) at Jefferson Lab, at 6 GeV, as part of the general program to determine generalized parton distributions (GPD) in the nucleon.
Recent theoretical advances resulted in the definition of these new distributions, which yield a much more complete information about the way quarks and gluons are distributed within nucleons (and within all hadrons): 3D holography, quark orbital angular momentum...
The COMPASS experiment (Common Muon and Proton Aparatus for Structure and Spectroscopy) is a particle physics experiment on the hadron and muon beam from the SPS accelerator at CERN, close to Geneva. Several physics topics are adressed:
Nucleon structure in quarks and gluons, in which the DPhN is particlarly involved.
AGATA (Advanced Gamma-ray Tracking Array) is a new generation high-resolution γ-ray spectrometer providing unprecedented Doppler-correction capabilities thanks to a combination of fine detector segmentation, efficient pulse-shape analysis algorithms, and implementation of an innovative γ-ray tracking concept.
Atlas is one of the general purpose detectors which started operation in 2008 at the the CERN proton collider, to study the Higgs boson.
Goals:
Unifying the elementary constituants of matter and their interactions.
Atlas is one of the two general purpose detectors installed at the LHC which started operation in 2008. Atlas brings experimental physics into new territory. Discovering new processes and particles that change our understanding of energy and matter would be most exciting.
Project context
The BTD project was developed in the framework of experiments aiming at the spectroscopy studies of radioactive nuclei using gamma-radiation and light particles in GANIL, mainly with SPIRAL and then SPIRAL2 beams. The purpose of these experiments is to study the structure of exotic nuclei in order to better understand the interactions that bind protons and neutrons and their reactions to different excitation modes (temperature, spin...).
A thin cryogenic target for the studies of exotic nuclei
The CHyMENE project (Cible d'Hydrogène Mince pour l'Etude des Noyaux Exotiques - a thin cryogenic target for the studies of exotic nuclei) is part of the instrumentation necessary for the exploitation of the low energy beams (~ 5 to 25 MeV/n), such as SPIRAL2 beams. The aim is to develop a thin cryogenic target of pure hydrogen (H2 or D2), the characteristics of which will be well adapted to the conditions of future direct reaction experiments.
Contact: Thierry Lasserre (thierry.lasserre@cea.fr)
Scientific goals :
Neutrinos are elementary particles produced abundantly in stars, in the Earth's atmosphere and in the cores of nuclear power plants. In 2006 CEA/IRFU and CNRS/IN2P3 have decided to officially launch the construction of the Double Chooz experiment. Two identical detectors are to be installed near the Chooz nuclear power plant, in the French Ardennes, at different distances from the reactors.
This experiment aims to provide accurate data on actinide neutron-induced fission fragment characteristics (mass distributions, kinetic energy) and neutron multiplicities in the energy range between 500 keV and 20 MeV. Those data are of particular interest for the nuclear community in view of the development of the fast reactor technology. For thermal neutron energies, a lot of fission reaction data are available. Some of them are still partial or suffer from insufficient accuracy.
Objectives
While the heaviest element on earth is 238-uranium (with traces of Pu and Np in natural nuclear reactors) whose lifetime is 5 billion years, the last 60 years have seen the synthesis of dozens of new elements in laboratory, with shorter lifetimes. In 2007, The heaviest elements which has been named is the Darmstadtium, with 111 protons. Z=112 has also been claimed, as well as Z=113 from a japanese team.
Hadron electromagnetic form factors parametrize the internal structure of hadrons, the dynamical distribution of magnetization and charge created by the inner constituents.
They are considered fundamental quantities as they are a privileged background for interplay between theory and experiment.
La nature de ces nouvelles fonctions
Des progrès théoriques importants survenus dans les cinq dernières années permettent d'étendre considérablement la notion de distributions de partons dans un nucléon ou un méson.
Megawatt pilot experiment
Objectives:
Megapie (Megawatt pilot experiment) is an international project having as objectives to design, build, test and decomission the first lead-bismuth liquid spallation target functioning under 1 MW deposited power. This target is used as neutron source. Neutrons are produced by the interaction of high intensity proton beam (590 MeV of energy) on the target.
Objectives:
The objective of the Mini-INCA project is to study minor-actinide transmutation processes in high intensity thermal neutron fluxes, in view of proposing solutions to reduce the radiotoxicity of long-lived nuclear wastes. The fission process is the best way to reduce radiotoxicity and also to use the total amount of energy contain within heavy nuclei.
Scientific Issues and Project Framework
The MINOS project aims at performing the spectroscopy of very exotic nuclei produced by fragmentation at the radioactive ion beam facilities such as RIKEN or GSI / FAIR. The structure of the targeted atomic nuclei should allow us to bring strong constraints on the nuclear interaction acting between nucleons in the nucleus.
MUSETT: A segmented Si array for Recoil-Decay-Tagging studies at VAMOS
A new segmented silicon-array called MUSETT has been built for the study of heavy elements using the Recoil-Decay-Tagging technique. MUSETT is located at the focal plane of the VAMOS spectrometer at GANIL and is used in conjunction with a gamma-ray array at the target position. This device consists of four 10x10 cm2 Si detectors each, to obtain a total detection area of 40 x 10 cm2.
Structure and spectroscopy via direct reactions.
Program: Nuclear matter in extreme states /Nuclear structure / exotic nuclei
Objectives
The goals of this experimental program is to study the structure of unstable short-lived very-neutron-rich or neutron-deficient nuclei. These nuclei far from the valley of stability are chosen for the (expected) unusual properties: neutron halo, neutron-skin, new shell effects compared to what is known for stable nuclei or close to the stability.
Goal
This activity is focused on the study of neutron-induced reactions for nuclear astrophysics (stellar and big bang nucleosynthesis), for nuclear structure (levels density) and for nuclear technologies (current and innovative nuclear reactors, transmutation of nuclear wastes).
This program contributes to national and international efforts aiming at nuclear data improvement.
Thèmes-programmes:
Thématique et contexte du projet In parallel with the experimental activities of the MNM group at DAPNIA/SPhN some fundamental and applied modelling takes place to simulate innovative nuclear systems for nuclear waste transmutation, intensive neutron sources based on spallation and photonuclear reactions, radioactive nuclear beam production scenarios, dismantling of nuclear installations, etc.
The PHENIX experiment is one of the two large experiments located on the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), in Long Island, United States.
A spectrometer for the very high intensity stable beams of SPIRAL2
The future superconducting linear accelerator of Spiral2 will provide very high intensity of stable ions beams. They can be used to produce nuclei with very low cross sections, like superheavy elements or neutron deficient nuclei close to the limit of stability. S3 has been designed to handle these intense beams and select the rare nuclei of interest among the majority of contaminants, to identify and study them.
Spectroscopy and Identification of Rare Isotopes Using S3
The high-intensity stable beams of the superconducting linear accelerator of the SPIRAL2 facility at GANIL coupled with the Super Separator Spectrometer (S3) and a high-performance focal-plane spectrometer will open new horizons for the research in the domains of rare nuclei and low cross-section phenomena at the limit of nuclear stability.
Presentation of the project
Physics & programmes
Spallation reaction study, physics data for nuclear energy
Goals of the experiment
The measurement in coincidence and in inverse kinematics of the spallation (A+p at 1 GeV per nucleon) reaction in order to study in detail the reaction mechanism.
