This is a project engaging Ursinus College undergraduates in experimental nuclear structure research. The project is part of an ongoing collaboration with colleagues at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) and Florida State University (FSU) involving experimental work at the NSCL. We will investigate shell structure in exotic, neutron-rich nuclei via one-proton knockout and inverse-kinematics proton scattering measurements at the NSCL.
The protons and neutrons that compose an atomic nucleus fill a series of shells similar to the shells filled by atomic electrons. Many nuclear properties are determined by shell structure including the shape of the nucleus, the energies and lifetimes of excited states, and the degree to which protons and neutrons act in concert in excitations. Recent investigations of exotic nuclei with many more neutrons than protons have revealed that nuclear shell structure can shift with increasing neutron number. The proposed work will help to expand the understanding of the evolution of shell structure away from stability.
A central goal of the project is to maintain an active research program in nuclear structure on the Ursinus College campus. Ursinus College is a national liberal arts college of about 1600 students with a long history of strength in the sciences. This project will provide students opportunities to apply their knowledge of physics outside the classroom, gain practical skills in data acquisition and analysis, observe and participate in the operation of a nuclear accelerator facility, and present their work to colleagues. Participants will travel to the NSCL to perform experiments and analyze the data at Ursinus. They will present their results to the Ursinus community as part of the Ursinus College Summer Fellows Program and to the nuclear physics community at American Physical Society/Division of Nuclear Physics meetings.
