From nuclear halos to superheavy nuclei—Perspectives for nuclear structure research at GSI

Summary

Of fundamental interest is the investigation of nuclear matter at the limits of its existence in the vicinity of the driplines and in the region of the superheavy elements. The availability of unstable nuclei over large energy ranges and new experimental developments gave new impulse to nuclear structure research. Examples are the investigations of halo nuclei by nuclear decay studies combined with reactions at low and high energies, the mapping of the mass surface in large-scale direct mass measurements, and the production of heavy and superheavy nuclei. New developments such as high-current accelerators or the next generation of radioactive beam facilities will lead to further progress in the investigation of exotic nuclei.