RUI : Shell Structure of Exotic Neutron-rich Nuclei

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This is a project engaging Ursinus College undergraduates inexperimental nuclear structure research. The project is part of anongoing collaboration with colleagues at the National SuperconductingCyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) and Florida State University (FSU)involving experimental work at the NSCL. We will investigate shellstructure in exotic, neutron-rich nuclei via one-proton knockout andinverse-kinematics proton scattering measurements at the NSCL.The protons and neutrons that compose an atomic nucleus fill a series ofshells similar to the shells filled by atomic electrons. Many nuclearproperties are determined by shell structure including the shape of thenucleus, the energies and lifetimes of excited states, and the degree towhich protons and neutrons act in concert in excitations. Recentinvestigations of exotic nuclei with many more neutrons than protonshave revealed that nuclear shell structure can shift with increasingneutron number. The proposed work will help to expand the understandingof the evolution of shell structure away from stability.A central goal of the project is to maintain an active researchprogram in nuclear structure on the Ursinus College campus. UrsinusCollege is a national liberal arts college of about 1600 students witha long history of strength in the sciences. This project will providestudents opportunities to apply their knowledge of physics outside theclassroom, gain practical skills in data acquisition and analysis,observe and participate in the operation of a nuclear acceleratorfacility, and present their work to colleagues. Participants willtravel to the NSCL to perform experiments and analyze the data atUrsinus. They will present their results to the Ursinus community aspart of the Ursinus College Summer Fellows Program and to the nuclearphysics community at American Physical Society/Division of NuclearPhysics meetings.