Intersections Between Structure and Reactions: Pushing the Frontiers of Nuclear Science

The Gordon Conference on Nuclear Chemistry gathers nuclear scientists from around the world to discuss the major topics of the field for more than fifty years. For many years the subject of the conference alternated between ‘Reactions’ in the even years and ‘Structure’ in the odd years. However, starting in 2011, the Nuclear Chemistry Conference will occur only biennially and the Reactions and Structure conferences will be combined into one. With the emergence of new Rare Ion Beam (RIB) facilities all over the world and innovative experimental techniques, nuclear research stands on the verge of a new era, where a much wider range of proton-rich, neutron-rich and super-heavy nuclei will become accessible. The availability of a large variety of unstable projectiles - accelerated to different energy regimes - opens up new physics opportunities, based on the interplay between nuclear structure and reaction dynamics. The 2011 Nuclear Chemistry GRC brings together the two Nuclear Science communities, proposing a choice of topics lying at the frontier of the two fields and at the forefront of present nuclear science research. The special format and atmosphere of Gordon Conferences, together with the large amount of allotted time for scientific exchange through round-tables, poster sessions and informal discussions will favor the cross-fertilization among the different sub-fields.

The other novelty of the 2011 Nuclear Chemistry GRC is the organization of a Gordon-Kenan student/postdoctoral Seminar prior to the conference. This two-day event will allow junior nuclear scientists to present their research and establish collaborations and connections with their peers in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.