This research is part of a large effort in the Hall A experimental research area at Jefferson Laboratory. Our scientific interest is to help constrain the so-called "equation of state" of nuclear matter, a critical ingredient to understanding the makeup of dense stars. We do this by scattering a beam of polarized electrons from the nuclei of lead atoms, where the dependence of the scattering probability on polarization direction tells us the average distribution of neutrons in this large, spherical nucleus. The contribution funded here is for a precision apparatus that would tell us the degree of polarization of the electron beam. Such an apparatus is also critical for a large number of different experiments in Hall A, and is consequently a service to the nuclear physics community. The scientific impact on the nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics communities is very large, and the work is carried out with a number of students in various disciplines, at different levels. Consequently, students gain training not only in nuclear physics, but in magnetic transport applications and precision engineering, both as undergraduates and graduate students.
