RUI: Nuclear Physics Research at Westmont College

Westmont College, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

This experimental nuclear physics research program, involving undergraduate student participation as a central component, will be carried out at Westmont College and at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University. The structure of nuclei produced by fragmentation reactions is investigated using two different approaches. In the first, ground-state magnetic properties of short-lived nuclei that decay by beta-emission are measured using radiation-detected nuclear magnetic resonance (beta-NMR). After production they are implanted in a crystal host located at the center of a high-precision magnet, and their response to alternating magnetic fields is monitored via the directional distribution of their beta-particle emission. In the second approach, properties of ground and excited states of highly neutron-rich nuclei are measured via in-flight breakup reactions, using the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA), which Westmont students helped construct along with students from 9 other colleges and universities. The energies and trajectories of forward moving neutrons are measured in coincidence with the energies and trajectories of the charged fragments, which are deflected out of the main beam by a sweeper magnet. This research program will help advance knowledge of nuclear structure both near to and far from stability, and provide the type of cutting-edge undergraduate student research experiences that help recruit future generations of nuclear scientists.