RUI - Research with Undergraduates on Rare-Earth Nuclei

University Of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse WI

Investigators

Abstract

The visible universe is heavily composed of nuclei made up of neutrons and protons in a wide range of configurations born through the burning of stars and even explosive astronomical events. The nuclei and their configurations are determined by the underlying nuclear properties of matter, and determining those properties allows better understanding of how the known and soon to be known nuclei came to exist. One way to study the properties of nuclei is by exciting and de-exciting the nuclear system. This award supports research that will focus on analyzing the lifetimes of the quantum states in deformed nuclei to better understand the way nuclei interact collectively. More specifically, the experiments will use beams of neutrons that impinge on a nucleus to excite it, and then detect the scattered neutron and the energy that is given off when the nucleus de-excites. This project will also contribute to training the next generation of scientists by actively engaging undergraduate students in research at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse (UWL). The nature of low-lying excitations, K^{pi} = 0+ bands in deformed nuclei remain enigmatic in the field. This project focuses on the search for vibrational excitations in deformed nuclei, using the (n,n' gamma) reaction. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Nuclear Science Group will also conduct detector development during the academic year in a small local laboratory. The results will be broadly disseminated through publications and conference presentations by the PI and undergraduate researchers.