Nuclear Science Division: Annual report for the period October 1, 1985-September 30, 1986

Research has for the most part been carried out using three local accelerators, the Bevalac, the SuperHILAC and the 88-Inch Cyclotron. However, at CERN, oxygen-16 beams were accelerated to 3.2 TeV using the LBL-GSI heavy ion injector into the CERN SPS. First results obtained during the beam test period are presented in this report. Bevalac research has probed new regions of the nuclear matter equation of state. Studies of collisions between the most massive nuclei have revealed rich new phenomena such as collective flow, where the pressures generated force the emerging particles away from the beam direction. Experiments on dileptons e+e- pairs) utilizing the newly completed Dilepton Spectrometer (DLS) are being carried out to glean new insights into the hot, high-density stage of the collision. Major new results on the nuclear structure of exotic, very neutron-rich light nuclei are being obtained by exploiting the projectile fragmentation process to produce secondary radioactive beams. The Laboratory has proposed the Bevalac Upgrade Project to replace the Bevalac's weak-focusing synchrotron with a modern, strong-focusing synchrotron to provide higher intensity and higher quality beams. The significant enhancement of the heavy ion capability at the 88-Inch Cyclotron as a result of the recent development of the ECR source has led to a renaissance of the cyclotron as indicated by the increased demand for beam time. A variety of other scientific activities were also carried out during this period. The Isotopes Project published the first edition of a new radioactivity reference book for applied users-The Table of Radioactive Isotopes and division members organized several major scientific meetings