Recent progress on nuclear physics experiments with heavy-ion storage rings
Abstract
Heavy-ion storage rings are advanced large-scale nuclear physics experimental facilities that enable long-term storage and precise manipulation of accelerated heavy-ion beams. They serve as unique platforms for nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics research.At present, the internationally representative heavy-ion storage rings in the field of nuclear physics research are: the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research (Germany), the Cooler Storage Ring experimental ring (CSRe) at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), and the Rare-RI Ring (R3) at the RIKEN Nishina Center (Japan).Over the past decade, researchers have conducted high-precision measurements of mass, decay lifetime, and nuclear reaction cross sections based on the aforementioned experimental platforms. Highlight experimental studies are outlined in this review, such as mass measurements of nuclei near the A=20-70 proton drip line at CSRe, mass measurements of ^123Pd at R3, and lifetime determination of bound-state β decay of fully stripped ^205Tl^81+and two-photon decay of ^72mGe^32+These experimental efforts have provided crucial data for exploring the limits of nuclear existence, elucidating the characteristics of exotic nuclei, and simulating nucleosynthesis processes in astrophysical environments.The construction of the next-generation heavy-ion storage ring facility will provide superior experimental conditions for the aforementioned research endeavors, thereby facilitating advancements in nuclear physics frontier research.
