Preface

Abstract

The present volume contains the lectures and short talks given at the XXI International School on Nuclear Physics and Applications and International Symposium on Exotic Nuclei (ISEN-2015). The School and the Symposium were held from 6-12 September 2015 in “Club Hotel Bolero” located in ‘Golden Sands’ (Zlatni Pyasaci) Resort on the Black Sea coast, near Varna, Bulgaria. The School and the Symposium were organized by the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reaction if the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna). The co-organizer of the School was the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency.According to a long-standing tradition the School has been held biannually since 1973. The School's program has been restructured according to our enlarged new international links and today it is more similar to an international conference than to a classical nuclear physics school. In 2015, the International Symposium on Exotic Nuclei (ISEN-2015) was scheduled from 8-11 September under the auspices of the School. The Symposium was dedicated to the investigation of nuclei in extreme states and, in particular, at the limits of nuclear stability (from very light neutron- and proton-rich up to superheavy nuclei). This new format attracted many young scientists and students from around the world. We had the pleasure of welcoming more than 60 distinguished scientists as lecturers. Additionally, 20 young colleagues received the opportunity to present a short contribution. In all, 90 participants enjoyed the scientific presentations and discussions as well as the relaxing atmosphere at the beach and during the pleasant evenings.The program of the School and the Symposium ranged from the latest results in fundamental areas such as nuclear structure and reactions to frontier issues of the application of nuclear methods. The main topics were the following:Exotic Nuclei and their PropertiesMethods of production of light exotic nuclei and study of their propertiesSuperheavy elements. Synthesis and propertiesRare processes and decaysRadioactive beams. Production and research programmesEvolution of Shell StructureCollective Modes of the NucleusNuclear AstrophysicsApplications of Exotic Beams in Materials ResearchCurrent and Future FacilitiesSeveral colleagues contributed to the organization of the School and the Symposium. We would like to thank them and especially the Scientific Secretary of the School, Dr. Elena Stefanova, and the members of the Organizing Committee, Dr. Dimitar Tarpanov and Peter Zhivkov, for their cordiality and high-level assistance. We are also grateful to colleagues from the Dubna Institute for their collaboration.Sofia, 20 May 2016 Co-chair persons of the Organizing CommitteeProf. Dr. Sc. Ch. Stoyanov, Prof. Dr. Sc. S. Dimitrova & Prof. Dr. Sc. Yu. Penionzhkevich