The Long Range Plan for Nuclear Physics

1. The Long Range Plan for Nuclear Physics “After the big meeting” Richard Seto University of CA, Riverside RHIC-AGS User’s Group – Washington APS Meeting April 29, 2001 The LRP working group

2. What happens • Every ~6 Years the DOE/NSF nuclear charges NSAC with defining a ~5-10 year plan for nuclear physics • Begins with Town meetings in all fields of Nuclear Physics • Low energy nuclear physics • Astrophysics, Neutrinos, and Symmetries • Relativistic Heavy Ions (we had several meetings) • Electron scattering • NSAC(30 people)+30 other “wise folks” then get together for a week and hammer out a final set of recommendations (Santa-Fe: Jan 28-Feb 2, 2001) • Chaired by James Symons • NSAC folks: Me, Tim Hallman, Wit Busza, Leslie Bland • Wise folks: Barbara Jacak, Bill Zajc, Steve Vigdor, Larry McLerran, Al Mueller, Peter Bond, Dave Herzog • ~Oct 1 R. Seto

3. The money ~400M/year for DOE/NSF Nuclear Physics What was on the table at Santa Fe? RIA – the decadal project ~$1B Mid size stuff ~$100M JLAB-12 GeV Upgrade : gluonic excitations, GPD’s, intermediate Q2 ORLAND :  from SNS Underground Lab : large scale double beta decay, proton decay, solar  Lots of support in community – gets an A+ Most of funding is from NSF Requested support of community Nuclear Science will construct some detectors RHIC II EIC – electron ion collider Small Stuff A fact of life You want big money? – build something big : CEBAF, RHIC,…RIA R. Seto

4. The LRP document • Recommendations • Increased funding for research and facility operations • RIA (Rare Isotope Accelerator) • The underground Lab • JLAB 12 GeV upgrade • “Initiatives” • Small stuff and big stuff including • RHIC/EIC R and D • RHIC II R. Seto

5. The recommendations • Recommendation 1 • Recent investments by the United States in new and upgraded facilities have positioned the Nation to continue its world-leadership role in nuclear science. The highest priority of the nuclear science community is to exploit the extraordinary opportunities for scientific discoveries made possible by these investments. Increased funding for research and facility operations is essential to realize these opportunities. • Specifically, it is imperative to • Increase support for facility operations – especially our unique new facilities RHIC, CEBAF, and NSCL – which will greatly enhance the impact of the nation’s nuclear science program. • Increase investment in university research and infrastructure, which will both enhance scientific output and educate additional young scientists vital to meeting national needs. • Significantly increase funding for nuclear theory, which is essential for developing the full potential of the scientific program. R. Seto

6. RIA – the Rare Isotope Accelerator • Recommendation 2 • The Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) is our highest priority for major new construction. RIA will be the world-leading facility for research in nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics. • The exciting new scientific opportunities offered by research with rare isotopes are compelling. RIA is required to exploit these opportunities and to ensure world leadership in these areas of nuclear science.   • RIA will require significant funding above the nuclear physics base. This is essential so that our international leadership positions at CEBAF and at RHIC be maintained. R. Seto

7. The underground Lab and the JLAB upgrade • Recommendation 3 • We strongly recommend immediate construction of the world’s deepest underground science laboratory. This laboratory will provide a compelling opportunity for nuclear scientists to explore fundamental questions in neutrino physics and astrophysics. • Recommendation 4 • We strongly recommend the upgrade of CEBAF at Jefferson Laboratory to 12 GeV as soon as possible. R. Seto

8. The “initiatives” (in random order) • RHIC/EIC R and D • Both for machine and detectors • Gamma Tracking (for RIA type experiments) • Cold Neutrons (SNS) • RHIC II • Lattice QCD/Teraflops scale computing • Super Nova Calculations • ORLAND R. Seto

9. What is in it for us? • Increased funding for RHIC, for our contracts, and for theory as first priority • RIA built with new money • A clause protecting funding for RHIC • R and D for RHIC II/electron-ion Collider, machine (electron cooling) and detectors • For our theory colleagues – Tera-flops computing (Lattice+cascade codes etc) • In the distance – RHIC II/EIC R. Seto

10. A (risky) guess at a time line • Now - 2001 • R and D for RHIC II machine and detectors • J-Lab ~ 2005 • Formal proposal for RHIC II ~2005 • Next LRP ~2007 • RIA ~ 2010 (a reasonable guess) • RHIC II construction • RHIC II ~2013(WAOG) “O for optimistic” • Electron Ion Collider ~2015 (WAOG) R. Seto

11. What is RIA?? • An innovative new accelerator for rare exotic nuclei • Time scale ~2010 • Cost $1B (~$840M) • Will reach previously unstudied isotopes (r-process) • Intensity ~100x greater than any planned facility • Science • Nuclear Astrophysics • Structure of nuclei • Precision tests of conservation laws • Applications Unstable istopes Stable isotopes RIA R. Seto

12. The Science of RIAOne example: Nature of Nuclear Matter • What are the limits of stability? • I.e. how extreme can you go in N/Z (neutron drip line, proton drip line) • An example – • When you go to very neutron rich isotopes, the magic numbers probably change • This dictates the rates of various reactions in the r-process – the rapid neutron capture process • So what? R. Seto

13. The Science of RIA – origin of the elements • Did you know that we are all children of the Stars? • Elements heavier than iron • produced in the r-process • We don’t understand it • We don’t really know where it occurs • in super-nova? • or perhaps in merging neutron stars? • We have not been able to produce the most relevant nuclei RIA will make these nuclei accessible R. Seto

14. A very successful process • The Nuclear physics community has succeeded in constructing very large ($1B) projects • CEBAF • RHIC • Now RIA/Underground lab • The community is a powerful one • Broad (disparate) interests • BUT UNIFIED! • Noted by OMB Despite some unhappiness at times during the meeting, I have come to admire the process, the leadership and the results R. Seto

15. CEBAF RHIC “We are stardust We are golden We are billion-year-old carbon And we got to get ourselves Back to the garden” Joni Mitchell RIA Underground Laboratory R. Seto