One of the frontiers in nuclear physics is the study of nuclei
far from stability. This is of great interest to Astrophysics and
Nuclear Physics. Unstable nuclei are involved in various
astrophysical events in hot and explosive scenarios. The
understanding of new astrophysical data depends increasingly on
our understanding of the relevant structure for short-lived
nuclei that drive the evolution and energy production in stars
and galaxies. To access the short-lived nuclei experimentally,
a major project has recently been proposed by the U.S. nuclear physics
community as part of the Nuclear Physics Long Range Plan.
This is an $800M project for
construction of the RIA (Rare Isotope
Accelerator).
Dr. Sun's theoretical work is crucial to the studies of the
nuclei to be produced by
RIA.
Dr. Sun's major contribution to the modern nuclear structure
theory and computation
is through his work on the Projected Shell Model for which he
developed the numerical algorithm and the computer codes.
This model combines the advantages of the nuclear shell model and the
mean-field theories, and has become a standard method for analyzing
experimental data. Currently,
Dr. Sun has collaborations with University of Notre Dame and
Argonne National
Laboratory in U.S., and Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro in Italy.
The nuclear isomers provide a form of energy storage.
The research for stimulated gamma-ray emission from nuclear isomers
could have many applications
in basic science, technology, medicine, and defense.
Dr. Sun applies advanced models of nuclear
structure to understand the nuclear states relevant to the
gamma-ray emission. His investigation may lead to
the determination of promising nuclei
where future experiments on stimulated energy release could be conducted.
Interdisciplinary research has been his interest as well.
In the new research field of quantum information,
Dr. Sun has established a collaboration
with Tsinghua University in Beijing for the study of
quantum algorithms in computation and data searching.