The Nuclear Physics Division

ALICE

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).

ALICE muon spectrometer

CLAS12

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.

CLAS12-Tracker

PARTONS ANR Project

R3B

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).

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.

PARTONS ANR Project

Compass : COMmon Muon Proton Apparatus For Structure and Spectroscopy

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.

PARTONS ANR Project

Compass : COMmon Muon Proton Apparatus For Structure and Spectroscopy

AGATA

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

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.

BTD (Beam Tracking Detector)

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.

CHyMENE

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.

Double-Chooz

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.

Fission studies with the FALSTAFF fission fragment spectrometer

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.

Fulis rotating Target

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.

Hadron Form Factors

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.

Les distributions de partons généralisées (GPD)

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.

Megapie

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.

Mini Inca

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.

MINOS

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.

MUSETT

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.

MUST2-Reactions

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.

nTOF

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).

Nuclear modelling

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.

PHENIX

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.

S3: Super Separator Spectrometer

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.

SIRIUS

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.

SPALADIN

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.

Nuclear Physics Division

Institute of Research into the Fundamental Laws of the Universe