Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics

该奖项为圣母大学核科学实验室（NSL）的低能核物理实验项目提供支持。该计划主要关注核天体物理学中的关键问题，解决有关恒星和恒星爆炸中的聚变反应，它们如何产生释放的能量以及它们如何构建我们在宇宙中观察到的所有元素的问题。一个广泛的实验议程计划在国家科学实验室使用许多不同的实验技术和加速器来测量这些反应。驱动恒星爆炸的核反应也将在更大规模的实验室进行研究，这些实验室可以提供在国家科学实验室设施中无法获得的稀有离子束。这些工作将主要在阿贡国家实验室和密歇根州立大学的国家超导回旋加速器实验室进行。这个实验室的第二个任务是研究原子核的结构。在这里，计划中的实验重点是测量核物质的行为和特征，从映射特殊的振动模式到物质的不可压缩性。这些测量将主要在日本大阪的核物理研究中心进行，因为目前美国没有类似的设施。这项工作的第三个目标是进一步发展一个广泛的核科学应用程序，重点是高灵敏度的方法，如加速器质谱和x射线和伽马射线光谱。这些技术有益于广泛的学术领域，包括天体物理学、地质学、生物学、考古学和历史学。最后，这项研究为培养核科学方面的本科生和研究生提供了丰富的实践环境，他们将拥有适用于国土安全和其他关键领域的技能。

This award provides support for the Nuclear Science Laboratory (NSL) at the University of Notre Dame for an experimental program in low energy nuclear physics. The program is primarily focused on critical issues in nuclear astrophysics, addressing questions about fusion reactions in stars and stellar explosions, how they produce the energy that is released and how they build up all the elements that are observed in our universe. A broad experimental agenda is planned to measure these reactions in the NSL laboratory using a number of different experimental techniques and accelerators. Nuclear reactions that drive stellar explosions will also be studied at larger scale laboratories that can provide rare ion beams that are not available at the NSL facilities. These efforts will primarily take place at Argonne National Laboratory and at the National Super Conducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. The second mission of the laboratory is the study of the structure of the nucleus. Here the planned experiments focus on measuring the behavior and characteristics of nuclear matter, ranging from mapping special vibrational modes to the incompressibility of matter. These measurements will primarily be done at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics in Osaka, Japan, since no comparable US facility is presently available. The third goal of this work is to further develop a broad program of nuclear science applications by focusing on high sensitivity methods such as Accelerator Mass Spectrometry and x- and gamma ray spectroscopy. These techniques benefit a broad array of academic fields, including astrophysics, geology, biology, archaeology, and history. Finally, the research provides a rich, hands-on environment for training undergraduate and graduate students in nuclear science, who will then have skills applicable to homeland security and other critical areas.