Fusing nature's quantum drops: the opportunity presented by rare isotopes of light nuclei

Fusion of two nuclei into a single nucleus is a phenomenon of significant interest relevant to both the energy production in stars as well as the synthesis of the heaviest elements. Investigation of fusion for an isotopic chain of nuclei both experimentally as well as theoretically, allows systematic behavior to be probed. Both the shape, as well as the structure of the nuclei as they collide influence the probability of fusion. Fusion at near-barrier energies provides an interesting regime in which the interplay of both structure and dynamics can occur. At these energies the penetration of the time-dependent barrier between the colliding nuclei impacts the fusion probability. By taking the probability of penetrating this barrier directly from microscopic calculations an improved description of fusion is achieved. Recent high-resolution experimental data from both thin and thick active-target measurements along with state-of-the-art theoretical microscopic calculations will be presented. The discrepancy between the theoretical predictions and experimental data points to the contribution of factors to fusion unexplained at the mean-field level ushering a new era in our investigation of fusion.