The Erice International Workshop on Nuclear Physics was founded by Prof. H. Schopper in 1974. After him it was organized by Sir Denis Wilkinson till 1983. The topics of the workshop have been chosen from the very beginning to be young and fast expanding fields in the area of the interphase between nuclear, particle and astrophysics. The idea is to bring internationally highly recognized experts in the field together with young scientists and even PhD students. In the morning the experts give review lectures on the newest status of a special topic, while the afternoon is mainly devoted to seminars of the participants leaving enough time for discussions and special topic workshops.
Radioactive beams open the prospect to study properties of nuclei far away from the valley of stability. This enables to study a structure and reactions of nuclei which are important for the processes in stars (regular burning, novae and super-novae explosions) and even in the big bang: element formation in stars involve nuclei far away from the valley of stability. Heavier elements are formed by neutron capture in novae and super-novae explosions.
The availability of beams with short-lived radioactive nuclei has paved the way for the exploration of the structure and dynamics of complex nuclei in regions of the nuclear chart which were not accessable in the past. Especially one is now able to study the structure and the dynamics of complex nuclei in regions far away from stability on which we have only very little information.
Exotic nuclei far from the valley of stability show new closed shells and familiar ones are disappearing. Atomic nuclei display many astonishing regularities and simple excitation patterns. The reasons for the emergence of regularities and simple modes will be discussed in lecturers at this school/workshop and connections to the fundamental role of the nucleon-nucleon interaction and symmetries of the many-body proton- and neutron-system will be discussed.
Radioactive beams will enlarge our knowledge of exotic neutron-rich nuclei. Presently we have data up to Z=8 till the neutron drip line. With radioactive beams the investigation of neutron-rich nuclei up to the drip line can be extended to heavier Z. Investigation of neutron halos in heavier nuclei may help to investigate the equation-of-state of cold neutron matter relevant for astrophysics.
The proton drip line and N=Z nuclei are important for the astrophysical rp-process. These nuclei may also give information about proton-neutron pairing. The workshop/school on radioactive beams, nuclear dynamics and astrophysics will present in talks of leading scientists in this field, the present status of the investigations of these topics. There will also be the possibility for the participants to present their own work in this field. It will also give information on the new or planned radioactive beam facilities at GSI/Darmstadt, RIKEN/Japan and RIA/USA.