In many-body physical theory the description can go from the definition of an interaction between single components to the structure of the system. What makes a whole and separates the components from the aggregate? What are emergent properties, such as collective rigidity so familiar in the world around us, coming from?

A single subatomic particle is a fascinating, but relatively still object. I study how the subatomic particles, neutron and protons, come together in ensembles to form nuclei at the core of everything around us. Investigating the individual particles is particle physics, investigating the grouping of particles is nuclear physics.

Masses of all nuclides included in the Atomic Mass Evaluation of the corresponding year

Nuclear physics is especially difficult since as much as 300 subatomic particles come -and are bound- together by a force we don’t completely understand, the nuclear strong force, following the complicated rules of quantum mechanics. Thus, approximations must be employed to make heads of tails of its quantum behaviour, even in supercomputers simulations.

Nuclear reactions happen when a projectile proton, neutron or nucleus impinges on another nucleus. These processes are at the basis of the study of the nucleus, because this is practically the only way we can access it: accelerators are used and built all around the world to penetrate the cloud of electrons around the nucleus forming the atom. In these way, we can discover its secret and study ever more rich and complex systems. Moreover, nuclear reactions occur naturally in every star (everything in the night sky was, at some point, a nuclear process), and artificially in power plants and medical devices. Therefore, understanding nuclear reactions imply better understanding the stars, nuclear medicine, a variety of nuclear application, and of course the nucleus itself.

In particular, there is an important question yet to be answered: where the nuclei that form everything come from? There is a nuclear phenomenon, involving the capture of neutrons in a rapid fashion, that generates most of the elements heavier than iron. These are most metals on Earth, including gold. The problem is that since there is no complete theory about neutron capture, it is very difficult to do simulation involving them. Consequently, the astrophysical site of this rapid-process (r-process) is undetermined and scientists are still discussing whether gold comes from supernovae or neutron star collisions.

My current principal focus to this scientific research, mainly consist in joining the study of nuclear structure (how the nucleus is) with nuclear reactions (the dynamical processes that happens when a nucleus or a particle impinges on a nucleus).