GSI-Colloquium:"Nuclear physics with rare isotopes – present results and future opportunities"

One goal of nuclear physics is a comprehensive understanding of the properties of nuclei and nuclear matter from the interactions of the constituent protons and neutrons. This quest for a reliable model of the atomic nucleus is at the brink of a revolution. An ever increasing range of short-lived nuclei (rare isotopes) becomes available for highly sensitive experiments that isolate specific features of the nuclear many-body problem. This is, for example, critical for astrophysical modeling. First, the models used to predict the properties and reactions of rare isotopes on the various nucleosynthesis paths finally become reliable; second, more and more of the short-lived astrophysical key nuclei and their reactions are in reach for measurements in the laboratory. This presentation will show how experiments today measure complementary observables that advance our understanding of nuclear science and what opportunities will be opened up once the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) comes online at Michigan State University.