Eur. Phys. J. A (2015) 51: 185
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2015-15185-9

Review

Perspectives for photonuclear research at the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility

¹ Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP), Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), RO-077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
² INFN-LNS, via Santa Sofia 62, Catania, Italy
³ Physics Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia
⁴ University of Milano, Departement of Physics, Via Celoria 16, 1-20133, Milano, Italy
⁵ INFN section of Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133, Milano, Italy
⁶ Institute of Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA Atomki), Post Office Box 51, H-4001, Debrecen, Hungary
⁷ Centre of Nuclear Physics, Institute of Physics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
⁸ University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, 02-093, Warszawa, Poland
⁹ Institute for Nuclear Physics, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 77, D-50937, Cologne, Germany
¹⁰ LNS at Avery Point, University of Connecticut, 06340-6097, Connecticut, Groton, USA
¹¹ Nuclear Physics Department, University of Bucharest, Post Office Box MG-11, 077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
¹² Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia
¹³ Institut fur Kernphysik, Technische Universitat Darmstadt, D-64289, Darmstadt, Germany
¹⁴ Department of Physics, Konan University, Okamoto 8-9-1, 659-8501, Kobe, Japan
¹⁵ Center for Nuclear Study, University of Tokyo, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, 351-0198, Saitama, Japan
¹⁶ Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, 27708, North Carolina, Durham, USA
¹⁷ Department of Physics, Duke University, 27708, North Carolina, Durham, USA

^* e-mail: dan.filipescu@eli-np.ro

Received: 6 May 2015
Accepted: 13 July 2015
Published online: 24 December 2015

Abstract

The perspectives for photonuclear experiments at the new Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility are discussed in view of the need to accumulate novel and more precise nuclear data. The parameters of the ELI-NP gamma beam system are presented. The emerging experimental program, which will be realized at ELI-NP, is presented. Examples of day-one experiments with the nuclear resonance fluorescence technique, photonuclear reaction measurements, photofission experiments and studies of nuclear collective excitation modes and competition between various decay channels are discussed. The advantages which ELI-NP provides for all these experiments compared to the existing facilities are discussed.