NP 2010: An Assessment and Outlook for Nuclear Physics

Summary

Over the last decade, the field of nuclear physics has experienced a rapid transformation, both opening new frontiers in addressing fundamental questions of physics and astrophysics and expanding its role in a large and growing number of applications in society. New investments have lead to a number of new scientific opportunities interfacing the nuclear physics with elementary-particle physics and astrophysics. Taking into account the most recent Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) Long-Range Plan and the recent international developments, this study will identify new directions and new perspectives for the nuclear physics and formulate guidelines for pursuing this field to advance the sciences efforts in the United States and abroad. This study will be carried out by an NRC committee over a period of 18 months.

Project Information

• Statement of Task
• Committee Members and NRC Staff
• Upcoming Events
• Community Input
• Sponsor
• The National Academies' Current Projects System

Statement of Task

The new 2010 NRC decadal report will prepare an assessment and outlook for nuclear physics research in the United States in the international context. The first phase of the study will focus on developing a clear and compelling articulation of the scientific rationale and objectives of nuclear physics. This phase would build on the 2007 NSAC Long-range Plan Report, placing the near-term goals of that report in a broader international context.

The second phase will put the long-term priorities for the field (in terms of major facilities, research infrastructure, and scientific manpower) into a global context and develop a strategy that can serve as a framework for progress in U.S. nuclear physics through 2020 and beyond. It will discuss opportunities to optimize the partnership between major facilities and the universities in areas such as research productivity and the recruitment of young researchers.  It will address the role of international collaboration in leveraging future U.S. investments in nuclear science. The strategy will address means to balance the various objectives of the field in a sustainable manner over the long term.

Committee Members and NRC Staff

Stuart J. Freedman, Chair, University of California, Berkeley
Ani Aprahamian, Vice-chair, University of Notre Dame
Ricardo Alarcon, Arizona State University
Gordon A. Baym, University of Illinois
Elizabeth Beise, University of Maryland
Richard F. Casten, Yale University
Jolie A. Cizewski, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Anna Hayes, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Roy J. Holt, Argonne National Laboratory
Karlheinz Langanke, GSI Helmholtz Zentrum Darmstadt and Technische Universität Darmstadt
Cherry A. Murray, Harvard University
Witold Nazarewicz, University of Tennessee
Kostas Orginos, College of William & Mary
Krishna Rajagopal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
R.G. Hamish Robertson, University of Washington
Thomas J. Ruth, TRIUMF/British Columbia Cancer Research Centre
Hendrik Schatz, Michigan State University NSCL
Robert E. Tribble, Texas A&M University
William A. Zajc, Columbia University

BPA Staff

Donald C. Shapero, Director, Board on Physics and Astronomy
James C. Lancaster, Program Officer
Teri Thorowgood, Administrative Coordinator
Caryn Knutsen, Research Associate

Upcoming Events

There are currently no upcoming events scheduled.

Past Events

April 9-10, 2010
Meeting 1
Keck Center of the National Academies
Washington, DC

July 12-14, 2010
Meeting 2
Keck Center of the National Academies
Washington, DC

September 22-23, 2010
Meeting 3
Fairmont Newport Beach Hotel
Newport Beach, CA

February 12-13, 2011
Meeting 4
Beckman Center of the National Academies
Irvine, CA

Community Input

Please send comments or suggestions to the committee via e-mail at bpa@nas.edu. Community input will be posted on this Web site as it is received.

Sponsor

The project is pleased to acknowledge support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

The National Academies' Current Projects System

The National Academies' Current Projects System maintains the public record of a committees' activities compliant to Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Visit the NP 2010: An Assessment and Outlook for Nuclear Physics Current Projects page for more information.