Research in Experimental Nuclear Physics

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Funds from this grant will be used to support projects in nucleon structure and in tests of fundamental symmetries. Two specific projects will be supported. One is the development of a sensitive, segmented detector for fast neutrons, using the method of capture-gated spectroscopy where incident neutrons are slowed through scattering in a plastic scintillator and then captured in He-3 proportional counters. The project will provide information about the neutron flux and energy distributions for sensitive underground experiments and further the technology for neutron detector for Homeland Security applications, and will result in a Ph.D. thesis for a Maryland graduate student. The second project is a measure of antiquark distributions in nucleons and nuclei at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) using the "Drell-Yan" process of muon pair production from proton-proton and proton-deuteron collisions. This grant supports a postdoctoral researcher who is leading efforts in target systems, data acquisition and data analysis. The broader impact of this group's research is through outstanding research opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students. In the neutron project, the additional broader impact is further development of neutron detection technology for fundamental physics experiments and for Homeland Security. Students are exposed to nuclear physics concepts and provided with hands-on experience developing hardware. They can make significant contributions to the experiments, and have the opportunity to visit and participate in programs at major national laboratories, in this case FNAL and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).