KISS project.

KISS project aims at finding an astrophysical condition for synthesizing isotopes of heavy elements under a rapid neutron-capture (r)-process, which forms the third peak in the solar elemental abundance pattern. This is an experimental challenge in nuclear physics to measure nuclear properties of ground- and isomeric-states in unknown neutron-rich nuclei around the region of A=195 and N=126. So far, we have constructed and developed a new type of mass separation system, KISS (KEK Isotope Separation System) and performed measurements of lifetimes, decay schemes, and hyperfine structures of some platinum, iridium, and osmium isotopes by applying multi-nucleon transfer reactions, in-gas-cell laser ionization, and decay spectroscopic techniques. In this report, recent physics results and updated KISS performance are presented. In addition to the KISS activities, a newly launched project in WNSC is introduced. It concerns a comprehensive nuclear mass measurement with MRTOF (Multi-Reflection Time-Of-Flight mass-spectrograph). Some of MRTOF's have been installed not only at KISS but also at GAs-filled Recoil Ion Separator (GARIS II) of Riken RI-Beam Factory (RIBF), the latter of which is going to measure masses of superheavy isotopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]