Probing into the World of Nuclei: Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (China’s Big Science Facilities)

This book offers a first-hand introduction to the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Research Facility. Taking readers on a fascinating journey through the magical nuclear world, it shapes the abstract nucleus into an intuitive and pleasing image of a "dwarf". It also presents the facility’s achievements and its impact on economic and social development, especially in the context of research on cancer treatment. Providing advanced scientific and technological insights, the book includes a large number of images and videos to help readers better understand abstract concepts such as heavy ions and ion accelerators. The book is intended for the general readers who are interested in the field of modern physics.

Genming Jin is the former Vice-Director of the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Vice-Director of the Academic Committee of Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator National Laboratory, Vice-Director of Gansu Physics Society and Doctoral Supervisor. He is currently Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Physics and Editor-in-Chief of Nuclear Physics Review. After graduation from Tsinghua University in 1967, Prof. Jin has been engaged in experimental nuclear physics research for a long time. In the mid-1980s, he began to study the synthesis of new nuclides, the properties of highly excited thermonuclei and the properties far away from nuclei. Since 2002, he started the research work about the detection technology and experimental methods of high energy physics and nuclear physics, and a number of significant innovative achievements have been achieved. He has published more than 100 papers. Prof. Jin was awarded the first prize in Natural Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the second prize in National Natural Science and the first prize in Scientific and Technological Progress of Gansu Province.

Guoqing Xiao is the former Director of the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is currently President of Lanzhou Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He received B.S. degree from Sichuan University, Chengdu, in 1982, M.S. degree from the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1987, and Ph.D. degree from Free University of Berlin, Germany, in 1996. His research focuses on developing detectors and setups for nuclear and atomic physics, nuclear physics with isotopes far from stability line and storage ring, ion-solid interaction, diagnostic instruments used for ions in storage ring and accelerator and cancer therapy with heavy ions.