GSI-Kolloquium: Understanding the universe using rare isotopes

Many questions in understanding the universe remain at the centre of forefront research; such as how and where the chemical elements in the universe are created? the life and death of stars, or the nature of stability (why are some atoms stable and some decay?), what is the nature of neutrinos? Can we use symmetry features in rare isotopes to probe for physics beyond the Standard Model? These questions are intimately related to our fundamental understanding of the atomic nucleus. Recent progress in theory as well as experimental techniques and access to rare isotopes provide key components in getting closer to answering these questions. At present, one of the premier facilities for rare isotopes is the ISAC accelerator complex at TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada. The science program at ISAC covers questions in nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure and the nature of the strong force, as well as probing fundamental aspects, like searches for permanent electric dipol moments (edm) or searches for anapol moments in atoms. I will give an overview of the program and how it links to answering some of the big questions in science, and present some resent research highlights.