Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics

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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.