This award provides support for students to participate in the Twelfth Summer School on Exotic Beam Physics at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, July 28- August 4, 2013. The school is designed for graduate students, senior undergraduate students who are actively involved in research, and postdocs (within 2 years of their degree). The school will consist of morning lectures and hands-on activities in the afternoons. Students will also have an opportunity to present their research. The aim of the summer school is to nurture future scientists so that the community will have sufficient manpower to effectively use Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) when it comes online.
In years to come, substantial progress in low-energy nuclear physics will have a broad impact on society, ranging from our understanding of the origin of the elements to the enhancement of national security.
The study of unstable isotopes that have unusual ratios of protons to neutrons is one of the frontiers of science. Investigating nuclei away from the valley of stability is critical for understanding the synthesis of nuclei in stellar explosions and provides unique insights in the nature of the nuclear forces. The scientific progress is driven by the development of rare isotope beams in present and next generation radioactive ion beam facilities. The physics of exotic nuclei is a very rich field, influencing our knowledge on subjects as diverse as many-body theory, halo nuclei, the inner structure of neutron stars, and the super heavy elements. Such research also drives numerous applications in materials science, medical diagnostics, and national security. The Exotic Beam Summer School Series, which was held for the twelfth time from August 4-11, 2013, is aimed at training and educating young researchers (undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral researcher) in these areas. The Twelfth Exotic Beam Summer School was jointly organized by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory and the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University, and took place at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The school is funded by these institutions, as well as the US Department of Energy and the US National Science Foundation. The 43 participants in the school received two types of training: During the mornings, they received lectures from experts in the field of exotic beam physics. These lectures focused on theoretical and experimental aspects, as well on a variety of applications, such as astrophysics and medical physics. During the afternoons, participants participated in a variety of hands-on activities. These activities dealt with specific techniques and tools that are used and/or developed by researchers in the field of exotic beam physics and the various applications. On the last day of the school, the students performed an experiment. The combination of lectures and hands-on activities makes this summer school series unique in the world. In addition to the above two program elements, the participants in the school also presented their own research to their peers and the lecturers. The interaction between the students and the experts present is an important component of the program. In 2008, the United States Department of Energy approved the design and construction of the new National User Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University (www.frib.msu.edu/). FRIB will provide intense beams of unstable nuclei for a wide variety of studies in nuclear structure, reactions, astrophysics, fundamental symmetries and applied sciences. There is a large community of scientists interested in working with radioactive ion beams; for example, the FRIB Users Organization (fribusers.org) currently has close to 1400 members and is growing. In order for FRIB to be successful when it turns on near the end of the century, there must be a workforce trained in both the physics of exotic beams and in the practical techniques of carrying out an experiment. This summer school series is designed to specifically address this need – to ensure that a new generation of scientists from a broad range of institutions is trained, motivated, and equipped to push the field forward to new and important breakthroughs. In addition, the school also aims to bring students into contact with other disciplines in which rare isotope science play significant roles. Since a significant fraction of the students will pursue a career in industry or will perform applied research (for example in medicine, homeland security, technology development or materials research) making connections between the fundamental aspects of research performed with rare isotopes and these applications is also an important motivation for the organizing the school. The School’s website can be found at http://fribusers.org/4_GATHERINGS/2_SCHOOLS/2013/EBSS2013.html and includes the lectures presented during the summerschool.
