This grant will provide funds to carry out a program of experiments to study beta decay processes in nuclei. The goal of the experiments is, first, to test one particular aspect of the "Standard Model" of the weak and electromagnetic interactions, and second, to provide additional data on the decay of boron-8 which is an important source of high energy neutrinos from the sun. The project involves design, construction and calibration of a spectrometer for the electrons emitted in beta decay, and the development of computer programs to simulate the behavior of the spectrometer and analyze the data.
The experiments will advance science, but have the additional goal of training talented physics students. The students learn to work and think independently and gain a wide variety of practical problem solving skills. These students eventually enter the workforce, frequently in areas of applied science, and this clearly has a broad and beneficial impact on society. There are presently 5 students, one graduate student and 4 undergrads, associated with the project.
