The study of transfer and inelastic scattering reactions, using light charged particles impinging on nuclei near the line of stability, has been a workhorse for studies of the single-particle structure and pair-correlations in such nuclei over the last 50 years. However, obtaining similar information for exotic, short-lived nuclei, which is a focus of modern nuclear research, requires that such reactions be carried out in "inverse kinematics", i.e. bombarding a stationary, light target with the heavy, short-lived nuclei. This leads to severe limitations on the energy resolution and particle identification needed to study individual quantum states in the final system. The new HELIOS spectrometer provides a solution to these technical problems and holds promise for a rich scientific program of studying exotic nuclei, such as those that will become available at ATLAS with the new CARIBU injector. In this colloquium I will discuss the HELIOS concept, the implementation at Argonne, and some early results.

Argonne Physics Division Colloquium Schedule