[en] Almost all of the heavy elements are produced via neutron-induced processes in a multitude of stellar production sites. The remaining minor part is produced via photon- and proton-induced reactions. The predictive power of the underlying stellar models is currently limited because they contain poorly constrained physics components such as convection, rotation or magnetic fields. An important tool to determine such components is the comparison of observed with modeled abundance distributions based on improved nuclear physics input. The FRANZ facility at the Goethe University Frankfurt, which is currently under construction will provide unprecedented neutron fluxes and proton currents available for nuclear astrophysics. It will be possible to investigate important branchpoint nuclei of the s-process nucleosynthesis path and proton-induced reactions important for p-process modeling. At the GSI close to Darmstadt radioactive isotopes can be investigated in inverse kinematics. This allows experiments such as proton-induced cross section measurements using a heavy-ion storage ring or measurements of gamma-induced reactions using the Coulomb dissociation method. The future FAIR facility will allow similar experiments on very exotic nuclei, since orders of magnitude higher radioactive ions beams will be possible.

[en] A concentration of dipole strength at energies below the giant dipole resonance was observed in neutron-rich nuclei around ¹³²Sn in an experiment using the FRS-LAND setup. This so-called 'pygmy' dipole strength can be related to the parameters of the symmetry energy and to the neutron skin thickness on the grounds of a relativistic quasiparticle random-phase approximation. Using this ansatz and the experimental findings for ¹³⁰Sn and ¹³²Sn, we derive a value of the symmetry energy pressure of p-bar₀ = 2.2±0.5 MeV/fm³. Neutron skin thicknesses of R_n-R_p 0.23±0.03 fm and 0.24±0.03 fm for ¹³⁰Sn and ¹³²Sn, respectively, have been determined. Preliminary results on ⁶⁸Ni from a similar experiment using an improved setup indicate an enhanced cross section at low energies, while the results for ⁵⁸Ni are in accordance with results from photoabsorption measurements.

[en] A new method is proposed for controlling the motion of nanoelectromechanical systems based on carbon nanotubes. In this method, a single-walled nanotube acquires an electric dipole moment owing to the chemical adsorption of atoms or molecules at open ends of the nanotube. The electric dipole moments of carbon nanotubes with chemically modified ends are calculated by the molecular orbital method. These nanotubes can be set in motion under the effect of a nonuniform electric field. The possibility of controlling the motion of nanoelectromechanical systems with the proposed method is demonstrated using a nanotube-based gigahertz oscillator as an example. The operating characteristics of the gigahertz oscillator are analyzed, and its operation is simulated by the molecular dynamics method. The controlling parameters and characteristics corresponding to the controlled operating conditions at a constant frequency for the system under investigation are determined

[en] The appearance of the pygmy-dipole-resonance is a recently observed phenomenon that can be related to neutron-matter properties. Its study can be a tool to determine the nuclear symmetry-energy parameters and thus can contribute constraining neutron star models. We present the (γ,n) cross sections for different Ni isotopes obtained from a measurement in inverse kinematics at about 500 MeV/u in the LAND reaction setup at GSI. The question of the disentanglement of the Coulomb and nuclear contributions is addressed.

[en] Exotic Ni isotopes have been measured at the R³B-LAND setup at GSI in Darmstadt, using Coulomb excitation in inverse kinematics at beam energies around 500 MeV/u. As the experimental setup allows kinematically complete measurements, the excitation energy was reconstructed using the invariant mass method. The GDR and additional low-lying strength have been observed in ⁶⁸Ni, the latter exhausting 4.1(1.9)% of the E1 energy-weighted sum rule. Also, the branching ratio for the non-statistical decay of the excited ⁶⁸Ni nuclei was measured and amounts to 24(4)%.

[en] A pioneering experiment was recently performed at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI. Fully stripped ions of ⁹⁶Ru were injected into the storage ring and slowed down to a few MeV per nucleon. The ⁹⁷Rh ions from the ⁹⁶Ru(p,γ) reaction at a newly developed hydrogen jet target were detected with Double Sided Silicon Strip Detectors (DSSSD) mounted inside a pocket. The experiment and the status of the analysis at a beam energy of 11 MeV per nucleon will be presented.

[en] The time-reversed reaction "1"5O(2p, γ)"1"7Ne has been studied by the Coulomb dissociation technique. Secondary "1"7Ne ion beams at 500 AMeV have been produced by fragmentation reactions of "2"0Ne in a beryllium production target and dissociated on a secondary Pb target. The incoming beam and the reaction products have been identified with the kinematically complete LAND-R"3B experimental setup at GSI. The excitation energy prior to decay has been reconstructed by using the invariant-mass method. The preliminary differential and integral Coulomb Dissociation cross sections (σ_C_o_u_l) have been calculated, which provide a photoabsorption (σ_p_h_o_t_o) and a radiative capture cross section (σ_c_a_p). Additionally, important information about the nuclear structure of the "1"7Ne nucleus will be obtained. The analysis is in progress. (paper)

[en] First results are reported on the ground state configurations of the neutron-rich ^29,30Na isotopes, obtained via Coulomb dissociation (CD) measurements. The invariant mass spectra of these nuclei have been obtained through measurement of the four-momenta of all decay products after Coulomb excitation of those nuclei on a ²⁰⁸Pb target at energies of 400–430 MeV/nucleon using the FRS-ALADIN-LAND setup at GSI, Darmstadt. Integrated inclusive CD cross-sections (CD) of 89 (7) mb and 167 (13) mb for one neutron removal from ²⁹Na and ³⁰Na, respectively, have been extracted up to an excitation energy of 10 MeV. The major part of one neutron removal, CD cross-sections of those nuclei populate the core, in its ground state. A comparison with the direct breakup model, suggests the predominant occupation of the valence neutron in the ground state of ²⁹Na $(3/2^{+})$ and ³⁰Na $(2^{+})$ is the d-orbital with a small contribution from the s-orbital, which are coupled with the ground state of the core. One of the major components of the ground state configurations of these nuclei are ²⁸Na${}_{gs}(1^{+})\otimes <!--\; ???\; -->{\mathrm{\nu <!--\; ??\; -->}}_{s,d}$ and ²⁹Na${}_{gs}(3/2^{+})\otimes <!--\; ???\; -->{\mathrm{\nu <!--\; ??\; -->}}_{s,d}$, respectively. The ground state spin and parity of these nuclei obtained from this experiment are in agreement with earlier reported values. The spectroscopic factors for the valence neutron occupying the s and d orbitals for these nuclei in the ground state have been extracted and reported for the first time. A comparison of the experimental findings with shell model calculation using the MCSM suggests a lower limit of around 4.3 MeV of the sd–pf shell gap in ³⁰Na. (paper)

[en] Nuclei like "3"4","3"5Al are lying at the boundary of the 'Island of Inversion' and little experimental information about their ground state configurations is available in literature. Neutron-rich "3"4","3"5Al isotopes have been studied through Coulomb excitation using LAND-FRS setup at GSI, Darmstadt. The method of invariant mass analysis has been used to reconstruct the excitation energy of the nucleus prior to decay. Comparison of experimental Coulomb dissociation cross-section with direct breakup model calculation with neutron in p3/2 orbital favours "3"4Al(g.s)*p3/2 where * means convolution product, as ground state configuration of "3"5Al. But the ground state configuration of "3"4Al (N=21) is more complicated as it appears from observed γ-ray spectra of "3"3Al obtained after Coulomb breakup of "3"4Al

[en] The Coulomb breakup of unstable neutron rich nuclei "2"9","3"0Na around the 'island of inversion' has been studied at energy around 434 MeV/nucleon and 409 MeV/nucleon respectively. Four momentum vectors of fragments, decay neutron from excited projectile and γ-rays emitted from excited fragments after Coulomb breakup are measured in coincidence. For these nuclei, the low-lying dipole strength above one neutron threshold can be explained by direct breakup model. The analysis for Coulomb breakup of "2"9","3"0Na shows that large amount of the cross section yields the "2"8Na, "2"9Na core in ground state. The predominant ground-state configuration of "2"9","3"0Na is found to be "2"8Na(g.s)*ν(s1/2) and "2"9Na(g.s)*ν(s1/2) respectively. (authors)