Grant: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Project

A large part of our universe is powered by nuclear reactions, that are the secret behind the glow of the sun and the twinkle of the stars. In our laboratories nuclear reactions and scattering are the ways to discover the heart of the atom. They can also be an important power source for our world too, like the universe. To study these nuclear reactions we need two nuclei to collide, one moving with a high speed that is referred to as the beam and the other that is stationary in the laboratory is referred to as the target. We are seeking support to develop a facility at Canada's National Laboratory for subatomic physics, TRIUMF in Vancouver, BC to study such reactions. The specific aim of the facility will be to explore nuclei that possibly exist in extreme stellar environments. These kinds of nuclear species are extremely rare and hard to produce as a beam in our laboratories. To make such a study possible, we will develop a novel solid hydrogen target in collaboration with Japan. The construction of such a reaction facility will place Canada in a world-leading position for reaction studies of rare isotopes. The research to be done with this facility will lead to significant advancement of our knowledge of nuclei that are the pathways to the creation of all the matter existing around us.