EAGER: Investigating the Use of Carbon Monofilament Wires to Improve the Design of the Slow Proton Recoil Detector for the Jefferson Lab BONuS12 Experiment

Hampton University, Hampton VA

Investigators

Abstract

The National Science Foundation uses the Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) funding mechanism to support exploratory work in its early stages on untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches. This EAGER project was awarded as a result of the invitation in the Dear Colleague Letter NSF 16-080 to proposers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to submit proposals that would strengthen research capacity of faculty at the institution. The project at Hampton University aims to study the merits of using monofiliment carbon wires in drift chambers, and to develop a low recoil proton detector. If this project succeeds, the resulting knowledge can be used to develop future carbon nanotube wire chambers, which would be a possibly transformative development in experimental nuclear and particle physics. The project involves training of the next generation of physicists at Hampton University. As part of the project, the investigation into the usage of carbon monolament wires for construction of the cathode layer and/or an additional inner wire chamber for the BONuS12 detector will be carried out in parallel with development work on the currently planned, but lower risk, design. The current project is one of the first to investigate usage of such wires in an cylindrical detector. More generally, the usage of carbon monolaments could be a boon for experiments requiring detection and tracking of low momentum protons and nuclei due to the potentially significant reduction in energy lost over traditional metal wires. The technology for producing carbon nanotube wires offering conductivity surpassing that of copper wires has just now become available, with mass production likely available over the next few years. This EAGER is co-funded by the Directorates for Education & Human Resources and Mathematical & Physical Sciences.