Physics Colloquium, April 6, 2010
Computing Atomic Nuclei Witold (Witek) Nazarewicz

University of Tennessee/ORNL

An understanding of the properties of atomic nuclei is crucial for a complete nuclear theory, for element formation, for properties of stars, and for various societal applications. The long-term vision of nuclear theory is to arrive at a comprehensive and unified description of nuclei and their reactions, grounded in the interactions between the constituent nucleons. Theorists seek to replace current phenomenological models of nuclear structure and reactions with a well-founded microscopic theory that delivers maximum predictive power with well-quantified uncertainties. To this end, advanced algorithms and extensive computational resources are needed. Today's petascale computers, capable of a quadrillion operations per second, have helped us move closer to solving the nuclear puzzle. They will soon be replaced by exascale computers, which will be capable of a million trillion calculations per second! All of this vast computing power will provide an unprecedented opportunity for nuclear science within the next few years. The prospects look good: we are witnessing breakthrough calculations of nuclear properties that the previous generations of scientists had only begun to dream about.

In this talk, advances in theoretical studies of nuclei will be reviewed in the context of the main scientific questions.

Dr. Nazarewicz's Web Site

4:00 p.m., Physics Research Building (PRB), Room 1080

Reception at 3:45 p.m., Atrium, PRB