Speaker
Description
One of the central challenges in nuclear physics is achieving a precise understanding of the structure of the atomic nucleus. Recent developments have shown that relativistic nuclear collisions at RHIC and the LHC can complement low‑energy nuclear experiments by providing a snapshot of the nuclear shape at the moment of collision, offering a sensitive probe of nuclear structure.
In this talk, I will present our latest advances in nuclear structure studies using the imaging‑by‑smashing technique, which connects final‑state collective expansion to the initial geometry of colliding nuclei at relativistic energies. I will demonstrate how this approach constrains the quadrupole deformation and triaxiality of $^{129}$Xe and highlight new opportunities to explore nuclear shape phase transitions in Xe–Xe collisions at the LHC. Furthermore, I will discuss recent collective‑flow measurements designed to probe $\alpha$-cluster structures in $^{16}$O and $^{20}$Ne through O–O and Ne–Ne collisions at the LHC. These developments form a crucial step toward bridging low‑energy nuclear physics at the MeV scale with high‑energy heavy‑ion physics at the TeV scale.